Holiday at home
5 fun new ways to celebrate Easter while social distancing in Fort Worth
With no large family gatherings, no in-person church services, and no community egg hunts, Easter will look much different this year. Even many popular city parks won’t allow vehicle access on Easter, in an effort to curb the spread of COVID-19.
But there are ways to get creative to celebrate the holiday under the current stay-at-home orders, some involving innovative collaboration among neighborhood residents. Here are five ways to have fun and create family memories while social distancing during Easter weekend.
Window display egg hunt
Hunt “eggs” safely from afar this year with neighborhood window displays. Many families are using printable eggs that may be colored or painted to hang in their windows in an organized effort to offer kids a scavenger hunt of sorts. Families can walk, ride bikes, or cruise by vehicle around their neighborhood to find all of the eggs. Find egg templates here.
Easter Bunny street-side greeting
This year, the Easter Bunny will hit the streets. Some neighborhoods, like Oakhurst in Northeast Fort Worth, are organizing an Easter Bunny drive-by, complete with candy to be tossed to kiddos waiting on their front lawns. All that’s needed is a willing individual and access to a bunny suit, and Magic Etc. can help with that. While the business is closed, folks may call ahead to rent a suit by phone and schedule a time for curbside pickup.
At-home egg hunt
Just because the family or church egg hunt has been cancelled doesn’t mean families can’t organize one of their own. Fill plastic eggs with candy, money, small toys, or coupons for future prizes and activities. Then hide them inside or outside for family members young and old to find. Want to involve extended family members virtually? Hide eggs in a room visible to virtual viewers and have them take turns guessing where eggs are hidden.
Endless egg games
Those colorful plastic eggs are more than just vessels to hold treats. Indoor plastic egg challenges for the entire family include egg spoon races, stacking egg shells to make the tallest tower, spinning the eggs to see whose spins the longest, matching the tops and bottoms by color the fastest, and tossing the egg back and forth, creating more distance each time. Prizes for the winners add to the fun.
Virtual family dinner
The Zoom app is rapidly growing in popularity during the COVID-19 pandemic thanks to its ability to connect people live via a screen and microphone. For families still wishing to dine with loved ones from afar on Easter Sunday, a shared dinner is possible virtually with an iPad, phone, or computer screen camera and a Zoom download. Note that Zoom has a time limit (40 minutes) for its free virtual gatherings, but there are options for longer “meetings” with a fee.