Putting the Pretty In Preschool

Finding Beauty In Everyday Early Childhood Experiences

Easter

Spring Basket Cupcakes

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Adorable chocolate animal-topped spring basket cupcakes. Festive and fun party cupcakes that are easy to create and sure to please.

These spring basket cupcakes are a fancier version of treats served at my preschool Easter parties at the end of March.

This Easter I was short on time to fit in all the activities, which needed to be completed before schools were off for spring break. Putting together ready-made treats to make our Easter party snack feel a little more festive and fun felt like a good choice.

The children loved the fancied-up cupcake snacks, and I know these will go over well in any group.

Supplies To Collect

Supplies to gather in order to make festive and fun spring basket cupcakes.

cupcakes with icing and sprinkles

chocolate bunnies and other animal characters

candy eggs

jelly beans

festive candies

Making The Spring Basket Cupcakes

Delicious chocolate animal-topped Easter basket cupcakes.

The featured cupcakes are store-bought. If you have time to bake your own, you could use them for this snack idea.

When you’ve bought or made the cupcakes, just add chocolate bunnies or other spring animal figurines as decorations. We ate all our bunny-topped treats at our parties, so I went looking for more decorative sweets for this post. I lucked out to find bunnies and a set of confectioneries with hens, ducks, and lambs.

Add a pipe cleaner basket handle to each cupcake.

Set the cupcakes on a plate with a few candies and other sweets sprinkled around. Featured are candy-covered chocolate eggs, colorful licorice candies, and spring-colored jellybeans.

Delicious chocolate animal-topped spring basket cupcakes.

View as a Spring Basket Cupcake Video Tutorial.

The eye-catching cupcake treats are fun to put together. And the exquisite chocolate animal characters take the party snack beyond Easter into the rest of the Spring season.

Sweet chocolate bunny-topped spring basket cupcake.
Adorable chocolate lamb-topped sping basket cupcake.
Tasty chocolate hen-topped spring basket cupcake.
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Easter Bunny Sensory Bins

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Fun Easter bunny sensory bins featuring two different brightly colored bases. The simple color change gives early learners variety in sensory play.

These simple, no-fuss Easter bunny sensory bins feature the same accessories added to different bases. The result is two unique sensory play experiences your early learners will embrace.

Follow me on Pinterest for more ideas.

Split-Pea Based Easter Bunny Sensory Bin

This naturally colored split-pea-based bunny sensory bin means no dyeing ingredients are needed.

Green split peas are the base for this first bin. Included in the bin are:

Easter baskets

bendable bunny

pink and orange plastic eggs

carrot eggs

Easter bunny eggs

carrot eraser

bunny erasers

bunny tongs

This naturally colored split-pea-based Easter bunny and egg sensory bin means no dyeing ingredients are needed.

Head to your local Target or dollar store to gather accessories for this bin. Just a few items will give your early learners a delightful sensory play opportunity.

Red Lentil-Based Sensory Bin

This naturally colored split-lentil-based bunny sensory bin means no dyeing ingredients are needed.

One thing about preparing sensory bins is that you can create any color scheme you like.  I wanted to combine pink, orange, and white hues for this one. The accessories in the bin are the same as above. The split red lentils making the base are actually orange-colored.

The split peas and split lentils used for the bases naturally come in rich, vibrant colors. And so a bonus in preparing these activities is that no dyeing ingredients are needed.

This naturally colored split-lentil-based Easter bunny sensory bin means no dyeing ingredients are needed

The two different hues give each of the Easter bunny sensory bins a unique feel. Pick one base to add the accessories to and then set the bin out for play. After a few days, switch the accessories over to a bin with the other base. Your early learners will enjoy the new color scheme.

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Silhouette Bunny Art

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Colorful silhouette bunny art made by dabbing dot markers on a canvas. Free template included. An art project for the whole family. This quick and showy art project displays well.

Easter kind of snuck up on me this year. I didn’t realize until mid-March how early the holiday dates are. I often have time to do Easter activities with my preschoolers in the first part of April, but this year we needed to complete them by March 26 (before Spring Break week.) And so this quick and showy silhouette bunny art project was perfect for our busy time. It is easy to make at home too.

Supplies To Collect

7-inch x 9-inch canvas panel

dot markers in bright spring colors

cardstock paper

bunny template

white pompom

white glue

Making The Silhouette Bunny Art

Select a canvas or use sturdy art paper for this project. (I purchased canvases at a dollar store for an economical price.) Then cut a bunny shape out of same-sized cardstock.

Feel free to download this bunny template for the art project.

Template for silhouette bunny art or another spring craft project.
Bunny PrintableDownload

This bunny template is for individual or one classroom use only.

Carefully center the cardstock with bunny shape removed on the canvas.

Have your little learner pick a dot marker in a favorite color and dab dots all over the bunny shape, holding the template steady. You may want to help do this, as the cardstock design has a tendency to slip around. And this way you both can practice teamwork and co-operation.

Your early learner can glue on a pompom tail with a dab of white glue when the bunny is dry.

Pink silhouette bunny art made by dabbing dot markers on a canvas. This quick and showy art project displays well.

You may wish to invite your little learner to create this art project in a few different spring colors or have family members each make one. The colorful bunnies display well together.

Or you can ask your little learner to do the silhouette bunny art in two different ways. Then mount the canvasses side by side.

Silhouette bunny art made in two ways by dabbing spring-colored dot markers on a canvas. Free template included.

Tag me on Instagram if you make this art project. I will share your bunny art in my stories!

Adorable silhouette bunny art made by dabbing spring-colored dot markers on a canvas. Free template included. An art project for the whole family.
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Bunny Rolling Pin Art

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Oversized bunny rolling pin art to add variety to your program offerings. A wiggly eye and cotton ball tail are the finishing touches.

It was so much fun making shamrock rolling pin art I decided to try the technique in different color schemes with oversized bunnies. The large size of the paper bunnies accommodates longer rolling pins and allows for a unique art experience. This bunny rolling pin art project displays well.

Follow me on Pinterest for more ideas.

Supplies To Collect

sturdy 12-inch x 18-inch paper

large bunny template

orange, pink, black, and white tempera paints

rolling pins

scissors

pencil

wiggly eyes

large cotton balls

Making The Bunny Rolling Pin Art

Trace and cut out large bunnies from 12-inch x 18-inch sturdy paper. I use manilla paper for this activity…it holds paint well and stays pretty flat while drying. It is also inexpensive to buy.

Allow participants to spatter black and white paint over a bunny, and use a rolling pin to move the paint around in all directions.

A spatter-painted paper bunny ready to be finished with a rolling pin painting technique.

When dry, have everyone glue on a wiggly eye and cotton ball tail to their hoppy art.

Striking black and white painted bunny using a rolling pin painting technique.
Black and white painted bunny using a rolling pin painting technique.

For an entirely different and much softer color scheme, offer orange, pink, and white paints. Invite participants to decorate their bunny the same way.

Steps to creating rolling pin bunny art.
Cute coral-painted bunny using a rolling pin painting technique.
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Bunny Candy Art

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Fun bunny candy art activity with assorted sweets. A happy hoppy food collage project the whole family will enjoy participating in.

Follow me on Pinterest for more ideas.

Along with Christmas and Valentine’s Day, Easter is a prime time for sweet treats. Chocolaty treats are popular, as are fruity and sugary ones. And bunnies in all shapes and sizes (and bunny ears) are frequent subjects.

Bunnies can also be created from a candy mix. Your little learners would enjoy this challenge, so why not make happy hoppy bunny candy art with them?

Supplies To Collect

An assortment of candies for a colorful candy art project or a candy tasting activity.

licorice in assorted shapes and sizes

Easter jelly beans

candy or chocolate sprinkle covered bunny ears

candy sprinkles

12-inch x 12-inch cardstock paper

white glue

Making The Bunny Candy Art

Happy hoppy bunny candy art collage project. An activity the whole family can participate in.

Set out a sheet of 12-inch x 12-inch cardstock paper for each person participating. Give participants a plate of candy to create a bunny-themed collage with. In addition to incorporating the bunny ear treats, candy pieces can be bunny heads, bodies, arms, legs, eyes, and mouths. Jelly beans and sprinkles add color and additional shapes to the pictures.

Have everyone glue the candy designs down to make permanent pictures. Or save the sweet treats for a delectable candy tasting party.

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Spring Bunny Canvas Art

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Spring bunny canvas art with paint dabber technique. An easy-to-do all-ages art activity.

The birds are chirping, and there is excitement in the air. Everyone seems to have a skip in their step. I think it is because spring has come early to our city and… it’s the Easter long weekend!


Here’s an easy spring bunny art activity that will add some hop to the skip, and be sure to keep everyone’s good mood up.

Spring Bunny Canvas Art

A few simple supplies are all that’s needed for this activity:

White canvas panel (12-inch x 18-inch)

Non-toxic paint dot markers

Colored cardstock

Bunny template

Scissors

The “How To”

Trace a bunny on colored cardstock in a size that leaves room to paint dab around it on the canvas board. I sized the bunny to fit just inside the edges of an 8 x 11 ½ piece of paper.

Cut out the cardstock bunny and place it in the middle of the canvas board.

Choose your favorite dot marker colors.

Dab paint dots around the bunny template.

Let the canvas dry.

Dot markers used to paint around a bunny template on canvas. An easy art activity suitable for all ages.
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