Phase 2 of The House Behind The Trees ~ The downstairs #TeelsBuildaHouse

So we are starting the downstairs ... I HATE to say basement because we had a basement in our old home, where you opened a door and went down stairs separated from anything else. It was a finished basement complete with a bedroom, craft room, family/game room and we spent a lot of time there ~ our oldest son moved down there in jr high and stayed through high school ... until we finished the master suite in the attic then he moved back up to the bedroom floor with his brother and sister.  So here our downstairs is open to the rest of the house, you can see through to the outside from the top of the stairs going down because we have a wall of windows down there as well.  We really didn't plan to have a kiddo down there but since we are having to do a switch-a-roo with rooms (I'll explain later) he is moving home soon and will be downstairs. Anyhoo, our downstairs will house our main family room, our middle sons room, a full bath and kitchenette.  I thought it would be fun ...

What do you do after you hunt the eggs? Do you want to keep the fun going? Here are a few Easter Games for young and old alike that will kick your Easter celebration up a notch!!

Easter egg hunts are synonymous with the Easter holiday, but there's only so many eggs to hunt and the kids still need to run out all that sugar they have taken in from the candy in their baskets!  Here are a few Easter Game ideas for the whole family that might just start a new family tradition at this year's Easter celebration.



Easter Egg Scavenger Hunt ~ Instead of a lawless hunt in the yard for plastic eggs, set up clues that encourage kids to find the eggs in a specific order. Each time an egg is uncovered, a message inside will lead to the next one, and so on until there's only one left. Make the final "egg" a prize like a small toy or candy.

Chocolate Bunny Bowling ~ Make your own pins out of store-bought chocolate bunnies, suggest Len Saunders, exercise physiologist and children's book author. Line up the "pins" and roll a tennis ball to see who can knock down the most. At the end, each child can take home a chocolate bunny as his or her prize.

Golden Egg "Hot Potato" ~ Think "Hot Potato"—but make it Easter. Put a timely twist on a favorite, play-anywhere kid's game by passing around a golden egg, suggests Joy Cho, founder of Oh Joy!. Whoever starts passing gets to choose a short song to sing while the egg continues getting passed around. Once the song is over, the person holding the golden egg has to do a silly dance. "That way, no one is 'out' and everyone gets to laugh and play through the entire game," Cho says. Of course, you can make the stakes a bit higher and have the last person holding the egg when the song ends be "out" (make sure to play to your crowd).

Easter Egg Toss ~ Perfect for the energetic bunch, this game gets everyone moving. Divide into pairs and stand an equal distance apart. Each pair receives a raw egg, which is then tossed from one player to the next. Each time the egg is successfully caught, both players take a step backwards. "If the egg drops but doesn't break, consider yourself lucky," says Michelle Bachman, co-owner of Little Miss Party Planner. If the pair breaks the egg at any point, they're out of the game. The last pair standing is the winner!

Easter Egg Basketball ~ Fill plastic eggs with candy or coins and set them up 10 feet away from an Easter-themed shoebox or basket, which will act at the basketball net. Have each child underhand toss the end to try to get it in the "net." If they get it in, they get to keep what’s inside the egg.

Pin the Bunny Tail ~ Make this Easter spin on a birthday party classic customizable by enlarging a photo of your child or another family member, suggests Jacqueline Kazas, co-owner of Beijos Events. Then have guests take a shot at pinning the tail (you can use cotton balls or make your own print outs) on the right spot.

Bunny Hop ~ Have the kids decorate plain white pillowcases with their favorite Easter décor and designs. Once finished, line them up with their feet in the cases for a hopping race to the finish line.

Comments