8 Ways To Fill A Plastic Egg

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While Easter is a celebration of spring and new beginnings, it's also all about eggs. Along with decorating Easter eggs and Easter baskets, the annual egg hunt is one activity many children look forward to all year-round — partly because of what's inside the eggs.

As these large-scale hunts often take place outdoors (where there are a variety of hiding places including in and under bushes or up in gutters, bird-feeders, or tree branches), the plastic eggs you can stuff with surprises are best. The plastic eggs keep whatever is inside dry, which is especially important if the grass is damp or if a cookie or jelly bean is inside. Their bright colors also make them easy to find, which is helpful when you're scrounging through the bushes. The best part? You can fill them with a variety of sweets, treats, riddles, and more. 

To assist the Easter Bunny this year, we've come up with some of our all-time favorite surprises to pack inside the egg's shell. We've started with the classic filling — candy — and added seven more of our less-expected favorites. Make sure to have enough goodies for stuffing about five to ten eggs per hunter so everyone can find a few. Regardless of whether you're filling eggs with cash or clues, be sure to add a sweet treat or two to each egg so that the hunter can't tell the difference (you don't want a hunter to be deterred when picking up an egg that feels empty).

1. The Classic Filling: Candy

Nothing says Easter more than foil-wrapped chocolates and jelly beans. Foil-wrapped eggs are now available at a variety of price points and flavors (from milk or dark chocolate to caramel-filled or peanut-butter stuffed), so there is an egg for every taste. Don't like chocolate? Jelly Belly now sells (way) over 50 different flavors of jelly beans, from classics like Toasted Marshmallow and Very Cherry to the more eccentric Birthday Cake Remix or Moldy Cheese and Rotten Eggs. (Photo courtesy of Flickr/stevendepolo)

2. Fun Gifts

Similar to what you might find in a cracker at Christmas, fill a couple of eggs with gag gifts like a mini stapler, rubber stamps, or bouncy egg-shaped balls. Each prize is fun to use no matter who gets it — good for a hunt with many hunters.

3. Clues

Instead of having the egg hunt be the classic mad rush to get as many eggs as possible, up the ante by turning it into a scavenger hunt with clues. Along with a couple of jelly beans or chocolate eggs, make sure each egg is stuffed with a clue that will direct the seeker to their next destination. To assure your hunters don't cheat, mix up the progression of clues for each hunter so they each have a unique journey to the prize.

4. Creepy Crawlers

For a good joke, pack a plastic spider or roach in a few eggs along with some chocolates or jelly beans. Hide them along with your regular candy-filled eggs for an unexpected surprise.

5. Money

Inspired by the Brothers Grimm fairy tale about the goose that lay a golden egg, fill eggs with cash instead of candy. Stuff 20 eggs with a dollar bill and then one "golden" egg with a $50 or $100 dollar bill (depending on the age of your crowd, you can also use nickels and quarters, but it's less appealing for older kids).

6. Cookies

Like to bake? Make an array of one-bite cookies or biscotti to fill the eggs. Are marshmallows more your thing? Why not stuff an egg with a Peep?

7. Personalized Gifts

This is a fun prize to mix in with regular candy, and it works best if each egg hunter is looking for a specific set of eggs (maybe all blue ones, or ones with their initial on top) so no one gets the wrong gift. Write out a couple of "gift certificates" and stuff each in an egg along with some candies. For young kids, the prize can be as simple as "Movie Night with Daddy," an outfit for a Barbie doll, or a small Matchbox car. For older kids, it can be a certificate for an ice cream cone, a free pass that excuses them from a day of chores, a pair of earrings, or a gift certificate to the iTunes Store.

Another alternative to games and candy is to stuff a special note, quote, or fortune in each egg. This can be particularly fun and encouraging for children who are learning how to read. Give them a word or phrase they're learning to sound out — they will be excited to show off their accomplishment with you. (Photo courtesy of Alexis Givens)