10 Family Activities for the Easter Holidays… Come Rain or Shine!

Just like the clockwork that gave us brighter evenings, the Easter holidays are upon us once again. It’s a tricky holiday to cater for – two weeks that could be brilliantly sunny and warm or quite the opposite, or (more likely) a confusing mixture of both. We’ve got you covered though, with ten family activities for the Easter Holidays that will keep the whole family amused and engaged come rain or shine.

If it shines…

1 Go on a National Trust Easter Egg Hunt.

Stately homes, mighty castles and magnificent gardens alike will play host to 250 Easter Egg Hunts this year. It’s a great opportunity to involve your children with your local heritage whilst joining in the Easter fun. Find your nearest hunt (Wales, England and Northern Ireland) here.

2 Go fossil hunting

Does hunting for chocolate eggs feel a little blasé? Why not hunt for prehistoric monsters instead? A visit to the coast on a sunny day can be like a trip to the past, with ammonites and shark teeth abundant in some parts of the country. If you’re after an Easter twist you can still reward little fossil hunters with chocolate eggs, but call them dinosaur eggs! Find your local fossil hotspot on the UK Fossils Network, here.

3 Go on a minibeast safari

Looking for invertebrates that are a little more…recent? There is a myriad to discover in your garden or local park. Arm your little ones with a magnifying glass and/or microbeast viewer and notebook to record their findings and you will be amazed at the diversity of wildlife on your doorstep.

4 Make some bubbles!

A cool, damp morning makes for perfect bubble making conditions. Try your hand at making some giant bubbles, square bubbles and double bubbles with Explore Box 8: Bubbles and Boats or Investigate Box 8: Bubbles Ahoy!.

5 Visit a Farm

The much-awaited arrival of spring is the perfect opportunity to visit a farm. Find a local farm that offers tours, visitor experiences or petting opportunities and find out about life in the countryside while the lambs are arriving. Look here for farm experiences in Wales.

If it rains…

6 Decorate Eggs

Yes, you could do this with paint. Or you could do it with science and create these beautiful glittering geodes. All you need is eggshells, hot water, PVA glue and anything crystalline. We made ours with Epsom salts but sugar would work just as well.

7 Bake an Easter Treat

Baking is a fabulous learning experience. Dealing with measurements and ratios nurtures maths skills, and turning raw eggs and flour into something edible is a science experiment in itself. All of our Investigate Boxes have a recipe on the online resources, so your little scientist can try their hand at bread, chocolate pudding and pavlova!

8 Get Egg-sperimental

Warning: This one can get messy. Dig through your recycling bin for a range of materials that your little scientists can use to protect an egg when dropped from a height. They need to find ways to slow its fall and/or cushion its landing. If you’re nervous about dropping an egg indoors, use a waterballoon or try Investigate Box 7: Over the Top for a parachute-making activity and a mess-free fake egg to protect. The fact that it also contains a gloveophone, catapult and trebuchet is just a bonus.

9 Set up your own Easter Egg Hunt

Rain keeping you indoors? That doesn’t have to dampen the Easter fun. You can look online for a ready-made Easter egg hunt or you can get creative and write clues that cater to your children’s interests. A hunt themed around any of their favourite movies or TV shows will be so memorable and engaging that the rain will be forgotten in no time. If you want to step it up a notch, try incorporating a little numeracy – “take 2 x 3 steps forward and turn 90 degrees to find a chocolate egg” will be the best maths test they ever took!

10 Play with Science

Subscribe to one of Letterbox Lab’s series of incredible science kits to get awe-inspiring activities with everything you need, delivered through your letterbox every month. Next time there’s a rainy day you can just open the box and start playing with science. Get wonder, awe and curiosity delivered by clicking here.