Easter Egg Hunt Game

I'm early in case someone wants to take advantage of a new kind of Easter Egg hunt.

Last year my son did a progressive hunt. The first direction led to another direction and so on until the end where a nice prize awaited for the granddaughters - a $25 gift card to Barnes and Noble. They love to read.

I'm having Easter this year. We are celebrating Easter and two birthdays. The twin grandsons will be 2 on April 27 and the twin granddaughters, from another family, will be 13 on May 1st. For the boys, we'll just hide some plastic Easter eggs that hold mostly balls I bought at the dollar store and a couple of marshmallow treats.

However, the girls are another matter. I bought the little favors again at the dollar store. Too old for a traditional egg hunt, I wrote rhyming (I'll admit, not good rhyme because I was in a hurry) directions to lead them to their birthday gifts. The first egg has marshmallow treats and directions. Each girl follows her own path. The second egg is actually an egg shaped puzzle they have to figure out how to open to get the directions. The third egg holds directions inside and sits atop a chocolate cross. The fourth egg and directions sit on a Rubic type puzzle. The fifth egg holds one of the girls' birthday gifts either inside with the directions or sits on top of a package. The last egg sits on their second birthday gift.

They enjoyed the game last year so I'll hope they appreciate it again this year.

Books and Christmas

Sales! Sales! And more sales! Even my book with a release date of February 15th is already listed at a discounted price for pre-orders on Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble website. Last time I looked Borders and Pelican had it at full price.

Books make wonderful Christmas gifts. I've given The Polar Express and The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey to all my grandchildren as well as other children I know.

I've written articles on giving books. "Book of the Month Club" gives a book each month in honor of a child's birthday or to extend Christmas throughout the year. Depending on the child's age, Newbery and Caldecott books make great gifts. To make it easier, buy stamps ahead of time and mailing envelops. You can even buy the books early. I once found one in a grocery store sale bin - Click, Clack, Moo which was an honor winner.

Another darling book for younger children is Ellen Javernick's The Birthday Pet. Check for local authors and try to fit their books with the children on your list. Getting an autograph is also a plus. For special children, give the gift of an author visit to their class. In my case, I'm offering free presentations for launch of the book for the remainder of the 2010-2011 school year. I still require reimbursement of travel expenses for out of town.

Series books are always a hit. Libraries have lists of popular series by age. Just ask the resource desk. Think the Bailey School Kids, Magic School Bus, and many others. Check Debbie Dadey's website for several series.

Think books for gifts. Start a child's library at a young age. They'll become avid readers.