The seasonal isle in your grocery store is full of brightly wrapped candy, plush toys and various Easter-themed tchotchkes you're told to purchase for your children. Most of them will be interesting for a few days and then they just become clutter.  So naturally, you are hesitant to buy them.  And if candy is not an option for your children, how do you create healthy Easter baskets?

Think outside the box.  Or in our case, the basket.  We came up with a few ideas that can be adjusted for children of all ages.

Adventure Easter Baskets

Give your kids the gift of adventure.  There is nothing better than family time outdoors.  Fresh air and sunshine do wonders for your body and soul, and discovering nature through the eyes of a child is delightful.

Take a Hike Basket

Plan a hike in advance. There are many wonderful resources online.

Here are a few ideas for your hiking basket:

Water Bottle

Healthy Snacks - we recommend our "pizza flavor" Parmesan Beef Bar; it's highly popular with kids

Map

Compass

Hat

Sunglasses

Sunscreen (yes, even the Spring sun can burn!)

If your child doesn't own a hiking backpack already, buy one and use it instead of a basket; just add a little bow or a festive tag.

To make the hike more fun, plan a simple scavenger hunt.  Try to spot an animal - mammal, bird, or insect.  Look for flowers, trees with interesting bark or funny shaped rocks.

Birds of a Feather Easter Basket

Bird watching is a great family activity.  It teaches children patience and respect for nature's beauty.

Some ideas for bird watcher's basket:

Binoculars

Water Bottle

Healthy Snack

Book or a Brochure About Your Local Birds

Notebook or a Journal - here is a great printable one for young children

Pen or Pencil

Tip: To make the basket look like a bird's nest, we used raffia instead of the plastic "grass" basket filler.

Sports Easter Basket: Get the ball rolling

If you live in an area where exploring nature is more difficult, you can still give your children a gift of spending time outside. You don't have to enroll your children in team sports or buy expensive equipment. The idea is to play outside and have fun. 

Some ideas for Sports Easter Basket:

Volleyball

Football

Frisbee (or frisbee-golf frisbees?)

Healthy Snack - try our BBQ Beef - healthy BBQ with veggies that even picky eaters like

Water Bottle

Stop Watch

We started this basket with a volleyball because you can use it in any park; simply stand in a circle and try to keep the ball up.  Have fun - invent your own silly rules (i.e. everyone has to stand on one foot when you yell the code word).

"Easter Basket" for college kids

Your kids are no longer living with you, but you still want to get them something.  Wild Zora meat & veggie bars are a great little gift for a college student.  They are easy to carry around campus and because they are high in protein, they are the perfect brain fuel for your hard working student.  Try our popular sampler with all seven flavors.  Don't forget to add something "green", because it's Easter (wink) and because college students always appreciate a little cash.

Tip: To keep the Wild Zora packages together for a neat presentation, we used little double sided tape.  Glue dots would also work well.

What is your go-to healthy Easter basket? Let us know in comments!