Easter in Autumn

Traditionally, Easter is a Northern Hemisphere spring festival based on Christian faith and Pagan origins. It celebrates springtime signs of rebirth and bunnies and chicks.

But living here in the Southern Hemisphere we are moving through Autumn – and Easter is when leaves are falling, it is when we harvest, when the cooler weather sets in. 

The shop shelves are heavy with chocolates of all kinds, wrapped in all kinds of packaging and from all kinds of places around the world. In our family, my kids of course notice, and anticipate a chocolate egg hunt. For this, we try and buy chocolate from NZ based businesses and minimal packaging.

It takes more effort to create time with the kids, rather than simply buy chocolate and gifts. In our busy lives, I do see the appeal.
But, it also can feel wasteful, or as hollow as the chocolate eggs, and I’m always up for creating some opportunities to try and connect with our kids and communities, in a slow, seasonally aligned and more meaningful way.

Ideas for celebrating Easter in Autumn:

While chocolate and eggs still enjoyed in moderation, here is a list of a few nature based ideas for inspiration that you might find are more in keeping with Easter in our Autumn season:

Time together –

• Autumn Easter tea party:

  I have to wonder if you ever grow too old for tea parties? There are many components to setting one up and can be a nice way to connect with any seasonal celebration. We start with a short hikoi / walk in which my girl enjoys collecting Autumn nature treasures to decorate the table, and my boy enjoys collecting herbs for making tea / potions. Then together we make simple food – often buns, scrolls, or hotcakes, or go for some Easter themed baking with an Easter Tea Ring or Hot Cross Buns – that we share with all this abundant seasonal fruit, and some jam or honey. This is a nice way to share Easter with grandparents, friends or playgroups too.

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• Autumn fruits + Easter fondue:

  A twist on the Easter chocolate theme – make the most of the bountiful, seasonal Autumn fruits with an Easter chocolate fondue.
  Autumn fruits + dipped in melted chocolate + time together with family or friends. Follow with a walk somewhere wild and beautiful to burn off that sugary energy!

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• Family movie time:

There is a movie for every celebration and Easter is no different. We are selective about when or what the kids watch during the week, so making it an ‘event’ for a family movie night, is something they look forward to. Setting up is half the fun, so they get busy preparing – this sometimes involves them turning a room into a movie theater, or it could be a simple snuggle together on the couch as the nights grow cooler. They adore this time together with parents and popcorn.

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• Kōrero about seasons, celebrations and faith:

We encourage a deeper understanding of this celebration and talk about the origins, watching video clips and getting books from the library. It brings in multifaceted learning, geographic, cultural, religious, historic, language, and science as discussing the seasons can be noticing our immediate environment, or can take us deep into space!

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• Visiting elders:

  A couple of years back I had organised for our pre-school playgroup kids to visit the local rest home. We took along craft activities and chocolate eggs and the elders helped the children search for them on a simple egg hunt. We shared morning tea together and made bunny ears out of paper plates. It was lovely to see how the elders and young ones interacted, drawing together and wearing their creations as well as smiles. Such a special connection that happens between these ages.
  The kids have hand written letters, with drawings and some photos to post down to 91yo Great Nana. A stamped, self addressed envelope was included too so she can write back and keep the kōrero going. It’s nice to receive mail! Especially when so few of us write anymore.

Autumn Easter Activities –

• Create an Autumn season + Easter nature table:

  A nature table is often used in Early Childhood Centres as a way to visibly display seasonal treasures and encourage observations around seasons and festivals. It is also simple to setup a nature space in our homes – on a shelf or table or windowsill – and a lovely active way to incorporate natures findings into our lives, which  dynamically change as the season does. Beautiful spaces like this even benefit us as adults! We return the treasures to Papatūānuku / Mother Earth following their use.
  Incorporate Easter themed decorations such as art, painted wooden eggs, alongside books and foraged Autumn treasures to invoke the curiosity of tamariki and aid a deeper connection with with our environment and seasons.

   

• Autumn Easter hunt:

  Treasure hunts of any kind excite my kids. I love that it encourages them to be outside, as what they notice as we walk is always very cool.
  We have refillable plastic eggs that contain a mix of chocolate treats and necessities such as hair-ties or clips. They are hidden down through the bush track and through the garden. Their early morning excitement gets us all out and moving, noticing dew on the grass, and how the spiderwebs glisten.
  We pick Autumn fruits, apples, feijoas and guavas as we go too, deliciously chilled by the Autumn overnight temperatures.

Autumn Easter crafts –

• Dyeing Easter eggs

  Dyeing eggs is a tradition that casts back thousands of years.
  Traditionally done in spring; flowers and plants are pressed against eggs, which are then wrapped in cotton squares and tied with string before dyeing. Easter in Autumn provides different plants for use, so as well as seeking out small Autumn leaves, we’ll use some of the abundant fern fronds and tānekaha leaves from the forest floor for our pattern making.

  Using plant based natural dyes such as onion skins, tumeric, red cabbage and beetroot dyes. there was a great deal of excitement from the kids, as we researched, collected and observed the results.

  We boiled them in their dyes and ate them for lunch. “Can we do this every year?” they asked.
  Yes, I think we’ll have to try – especially to and see if we can get the vibrant turquoise that comes from dyeing with red cabbage. In our house – these aren’t hollow eggs that are emptied and ornamental, we boil the eggs and eat them for a nutritious brunch.

   

• Autumn leaf Easter crafts:

  Creating art on Autumn leaves is a special thing. Using fresh, clean Autumn leaves, or dried pressed leaves and grab some posca pens. Then get creative drawing or cutting out Easter shapes such as bunnies or eggs, or centered around the Easter story and display or gift some stunning creations.

   

• White crayon + watercolour Easter art

  Simple and fun to make, for any age.
  We drew some egg shapes on watercolour paper and the tamariki drew patterns with a white crayon. We dunked the paper in a tub of water so it was thoroughly wet, then placed onto a perspex art board, removing excess water. Using watercolour, they painted their art and watched the magic – wet-on-wet watercolour painting allows the colours to dance and bleed into each other, and there was added magic with watching the white crayon decorations appear before their eyes. This type of gift can also be recycled afterward rather than ending up in the landfill – something we always consider!
  This type of art allows you to be creative with your won theme: Try leaf rubbings with a white crayon within the Easter egg shape; Bunny art; or the Easter story, creating art and connection between festival and season.

What do Autumn Easter traditions and celebrations look like in your home?