The tradition of Easter baskets has been woven throughout time as an important part of spring celebrations. For much of history Easter baskets were filled with items like eggs, bread, butter, beeswax candles, plants, and meat. Modern Easter baskets, however, look quite a bit different. A typical Easter basket these days might have plastic eggs, chocolate bunnies, and plastic grass and these things are not great for our planet. However, by changing up of few items in Easter baskets we can make Easter more earth-friendly and just as, if not more, special for our children.
In this article I will be sharing eco-friendly Easter basket ideas that help children connect with the natural world and respect the planet.
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Get eco-friendly baskets
An eco-friendly Easter basket begins with the basket! If Easter baskets are a regular part of your family Easter traditions, and you want to buy new ones, consider getting baskets that are ethically-sourced and fair-trade. Ideally, find baskets that you can reuse for many years and can even be passed down to other children. You don’t have to buy new baskets thought! Second hand stores are filled with baskets waiting for a new life. Another option is to upcycle materials from around your home or recycling bin to make Easter baskets. Here are a few specific suggestions:
- Buy a fair-trade Easter baskets: Purchase an African fair-trade baskets like one of these gorgeous Bolga Basket made exclusively for Bella Luna Toys by fair-trade artisans in Ghana.
- Reuse Easter baskets: Use a basket or container that you already own or get one from local thrift stores, garage sales, online marketplaces.
- Upcycled Easter baskets: Get creative and reuse items from your recycling bin like a grocery bag, plastic milk jug, cardboard milk carton, or yogurt container to make an Easter basket.
Ditch plastic grass stuffing
Do the planet a favour and ditch the tacky plastic grass basket stuffing! Plastic grass stuffing ends up in the landfill where it will sit there for ages. Plus, that plastic grass is so messy. Thankfully there are some lovely and inexpensive alternatives.
- Get some organic wool grass.
- Line baskets with play silks (I love Sarah’s Silks)
- Shred paper from the recycling bin.
- Use embroidered napkins from thrift stores.
Say no to plastic eggs
Plastic eggs are a throwaway item since they are made so cheaply. They also sit in the landfill for ages, along with all the plastic grass stuffing. Instead of filling baskets with cheap plastic eggs check out some of these eco-friendly egg options.
- Dye and decorate real eggs: Using eco-friendly dyes for egg decorating is great for the planet and fun for kids. There are plenty tutorials on how to dye eggs naturally, but if you don’t have time to DIY check out this Eco-Eggs kit or the Earth Paints Natural Egg Dye Kit. Both of these kits are kid-friendly and planet-friendly. Older kids that want something more challenging should try out a Ukrainian Easter Egg Pysanky Kit.
- Wooden eggs: My kids love playing with wooden eggs all year rounds so every Easter I like to add a few new wood eggs to their collection. You can even get wooden eggs in a small egg carton like these ones which is so cute! Wooden eggs can be painted, dyed and decorated or left natural.
Eco-Friendly Easter Basket Stuffers for Kids
Now that we’ve got the Easter basket and stuffing sorted out, let’s look at some earth-friendly items to add to these eco-friendly Easter baskets.
Art supplies
- Beeswax crayons: Beeswax crayons are a dream to use and better for the environment. These chunky pastel Honey Sticks are perfect for little hands while Filana beeswax crayon sticks and Filana beeswax crayon blocks are great for kids ages three to ten.
- Sidewalk chalk: Spring is perfect for sidewalk art. How about including some egg-shaped sidewalk chalk or bunny shaped chalk? There are lots of sidewalk chalk options to choose from.
- Natural paint: Paint can be eco-friendly too. This Earth Paint Kit is perfect for kids that want to discover how paint can be made from natural pigments.
- Playdough: Include some spring-themed homemade playdough or get some Eco-Dough.
- Spring craft kits: For kids that like to get crafty, skip out on the plastic craft kits and look for craft kits that use natural materials like this Spring Gnome Kit, Surprise Eggs Wet Felting Kit and Surprise Egg with Chick Felting Kit from mama-run Maplerose Store.
Outdoor play and discovery
- Bug viewers: Kids can get up close to bugs with a Hape Explorers Bug Jar, HABA Terra Kids – Observational Magnifier, Hape Nature Detective Set. or Melissa & Doug Bug House.
- Gardening tools: Get kids excited for gardening with this cute Kids Gardening Set or a Green Toys Watering Can made out of recycled plastic. These L’il Sprout Kids Gloves (Amazon link) are made of 25% recycled, post-consumer PET water bottles.
- Puddle play: Embrace puddle parenting and get your kid puddle stomping with a Jan & Jul Rain Suit and Rain Boots (love this brand!). I’m also a huge fan of the Reima raingear.
- Water bottle: Make sure your kids stay hydrated on their outdoor adventures with a mini Stanley Quencher 14 oz or the YETI Rambler Jr.
- Outdoor toys: Get kids paying outside with some outdoor toys like this Green Toys Skipping Rope.
Natural Toys
- Toy Bunnies: Real bunnies are a big commitment (I speak from experience!) so best not to make an impulse bunny purchase for Easter. However, there are some lovely natural bunny toys that are perfect for creative play. For starters, I love these solid wood Ostheimer Rabbits that are made in Germany. Tender Leaf Toys has Dollhouse Pet Rabbits and these cute Bunny Tales Wooden Dolls. PlanToys has a adorable vintage-looking Wooden Bunny Rabbit Racing Car. For soft plush options, Bella Bunny is handmade in Germany with certified organic cotton which is great for infants and this adorable exclusive Maileg Bunny x Bella Luna Toys Albin the Bunny would be great for toddlers and up.
- Wooden blocks: Wooden blocks are great loose parts toys that encourages imagination, creativity and problem-solving skills. While a big box of wooden blocks might not fit in an Easter basket, a smaller set like the fun magnetic blocks from Tegu Toys or a small pastel wooden rainbow tunnel would easily fit.
- Play silks and streamers: This Silk Sunny Ears are adorable and can be paired with some play silks from Sarah’s Silks or a Rainbow Streamer.
Easter picture books
In our home it’s a tradition to get an Easter themed book in your Easter Basket. If you’re looking for a lovely list of non-religious whimsical Easter picture book for kids I just compiled one here: Whimsical Easter Picture Books for Children.
