Your guide to activities and fun things to do with your preschoolers, toddlers and kids in new orleans, LA

Best Bet: Easter

by Kelly Leahy

April 10, 2009

Easter is coming up fast. The Husband and I have already broken into the candy necessitating another trip to Target this weekend. In addition to last minute shopping trips, there are other plenty of other fun things fit for families this holiday weekend.

First off there is the Crescent City Classic, a 10K race that goes down Esplanade Avenue and ends at City Park which would be a nice place for a family picnic.

There are the parades on Easter Day. There are the big ones in the Quarter and then there's the random one that goes down my street every year without fail. I'm guessing I'm not the only one to witness the spontaneous unexplained parade phenomenon in this city.

Finally, there is food. If you have plans to boil this weekend, be sure to reserve your crawfish now as there will be a run on them today (Friday) and many (all?) seafood shops are closed Sunday. If you are looking for a Sunday brunch there are places still taking reservations. A brief rundown of some of the more popular can be found here.

5 Ways to Green Up Your Easter

by Kelly Leahy

April 07, 2009

Here are five easy ways to make your Easter a little safer for your preschooler as well as the Earth.

1. Use natural egg dyes. Martha Stewart's website has recipes for creating natural egg dyes using cabbage, tumeric, beets and onions. A surprising array of colors result from using this technique and none of them are DayGlo.
2. Ditch the plastic grass. Years ago in a pinch I filled our Easter basket with shredded paper and have been doing it ever since. The cats don't eat it, it uses up some left over green paper and I can compost it when we are through. A paper shredder is highly recommended though it could be done by hand.
3. Think quality, not quantity. Forgo the high-fructose corn syrup filled goods and choose a few fair trade chocolates for the kids to share. Whole Foods has a good selection of organic candy year round.
4. Reuse the same Easter basket year after year. Set it out empty for the Easter bunny to fill overnight. You can also reuse the same plastic eggs for the annual hunt.
5. When filling the basket, choose items that can be used by your preschooler year round. The One Spot at Target has some great gardening items from herb and flower seeds to galvanized pots and tools for planting.

[Photo Credit: Martha Stewart]