A neighborhood Easter egg hunt can be a great to way to get to know your neighbors or if you are lucky enough to already know them (and like them) it can be a great way to celebrate the arrival of spring.
Best of all gathering your neighborhood for an egg hunt can be as simple or as complicated as you want to make it.
And if you plan it right it can turn into a long-standing tradition that promotes fun and neighborliness.
However in order to have a successful and fun Easter egg hunt there are certain guidelines that should be considered.
Here is what you need to know about how to have a neighborhood Easter egg hunt- Be sensitive of when you schedule it.
Many people have family celebrations to attend or want to celebrate Easter as a religious holiday.
Because of these constraints it is important to schedule the egg hunt when you can accommodate most of the neighborhood.
While you will never be able to accommodate everyone's schedules, being sensitive to the demands on the other families in your neighborhood shows respect and will allow the most people to attend.
Invite everyone! If you want to promote a feeling of neighborliness it is crucial to invite everyone.
Even if there are families that seem more standoffish or do not seem to want to be included, sending an invitation is a great way to open the door of friendship.
Even if some families decline at least you have extended the invitation to everyone.
Keep in mind that if you only want to invite certain people in your neighborhood then it is not a neighborhood Easter egg hunt.
Involve everyone! It is equally important to involve everyone in the neighborhood.
Keep in mind that unless you have very deep pockets, a large hunt can be expensive.
Many neighborhoods have committees that chair their Easter egg hunt.
About a week before the hunt they send a cute spring-themed invitation to each family's home (you can also hand deliver them to cut down costs).
The invitations give all the details for the egg hunt and request a donation of candy (specific that it must be wrapped) or other small prizes to help defray the costs.
The standard donation is considered to be one bag of candy for each child who will be participating in the Easter hunt.
The candy (or other small prizes) are then delivered to the chairman of the Easter egg hunt by a certain date.
The neighborhood chairman then recruits family and friends to help fill eggs and get them ready for the hunt.
In addition as you start this tradition in the neighborhood each family can donate a package or two of plastic Easter eggs to get things started.
These eggs can be bought quite affordably at discount or department stores.
After the hunt the plastic Easter eggs are then stored at the chairman's home until next Easter.
In some neighborhoods that Easter hunt committee and chairman rotate while in others the same group continues to put on the hunt year after year.
While donating candy and eggs may seem just like an added expense keep in mind that the committee is doing most of the work for free.
Mark the areas clearly and distinctly- It is important before hiding the Easter eggs that you get permission to use the yards of your neighborhoods.
In addition you will want to have signs that clearly mark the areas by age for all of your Easter egg participants.
This way the toddlers can take their time picking up their treasure while the older children can run through the neighborhood scouring for Easter egg goodies.
Best of all gathering your neighborhood for an egg hunt can be as simple or as complicated as you want to make it.
And if you plan it right it can turn into a long-standing tradition that promotes fun and neighborliness.
However in order to have a successful and fun Easter egg hunt there are certain guidelines that should be considered.
Here is what you need to know about how to have a neighborhood Easter egg hunt- Be sensitive of when you schedule it.
Many people have family celebrations to attend or want to celebrate Easter as a religious holiday.
Because of these constraints it is important to schedule the egg hunt when you can accommodate most of the neighborhood.
While you will never be able to accommodate everyone's schedules, being sensitive to the demands on the other families in your neighborhood shows respect and will allow the most people to attend.
Invite everyone! If you want to promote a feeling of neighborliness it is crucial to invite everyone.
Even if there are families that seem more standoffish or do not seem to want to be included, sending an invitation is a great way to open the door of friendship.
Even if some families decline at least you have extended the invitation to everyone.
Keep in mind that if you only want to invite certain people in your neighborhood then it is not a neighborhood Easter egg hunt.
Involve everyone! It is equally important to involve everyone in the neighborhood.
Keep in mind that unless you have very deep pockets, a large hunt can be expensive.
Many neighborhoods have committees that chair their Easter egg hunt.
About a week before the hunt they send a cute spring-themed invitation to each family's home (you can also hand deliver them to cut down costs).
The invitations give all the details for the egg hunt and request a donation of candy (specific that it must be wrapped) or other small prizes to help defray the costs.
The standard donation is considered to be one bag of candy for each child who will be participating in the Easter hunt.
The candy (or other small prizes) are then delivered to the chairman of the Easter egg hunt by a certain date.
The neighborhood chairman then recruits family and friends to help fill eggs and get them ready for the hunt.
In addition as you start this tradition in the neighborhood each family can donate a package or two of plastic Easter eggs to get things started.
These eggs can be bought quite affordably at discount or department stores.
After the hunt the plastic Easter eggs are then stored at the chairman's home until next Easter.
In some neighborhoods that Easter hunt committee and chairman rotate while in others the same group continues to put on the hunt year after year.
While donating candy and eggs may seem just like an added expense keep in mind that the committee is doing most of the work for free.
Mark the areas clearly and distinctly- It is important before hiding the Easter eggs that you get permission to use the yards of your neighborhoods.
In addition you will want to have signs that clearly mark the areas by age for all of your Easter egg participants.
This way the toddlers can take their time picking up their treasure while the older children can run through the neighborhood scouring for Easter egg goodies.