The shelter in place order here in the bay area of California is officially going through Sunday, May 3rd (as of right now) — which means that many families' Easter plans are having to change. 

We were planning on going up to the Sacramento area to my dad and stepmom‘s house, and spending Easter with the cousins, and second cousins. The plan was really going to be the first Easter that Rye was going to spend with other toddlers, doing a real Easter egg hunt, versus one in our own backyard. So needless to say, we are pretty sad that we won’t be able to do that.

My husband and I came up with some creative ideas, mainly, the idea for a virtual egg hunt where Ryeson can search for eggs at our own house, and we can still be connected to family, even if it is through video conferencing.

The idea of connecting with grandparents through Facetime isn’t new to us. Rye’s grandma & grandpa are in Long Beach, my mom is in Santa Rosa, and my dad and stepmom are just outside of Sacramento - so once a week or so we will get on Facetime (apple’s video app) to connect. Rye has shown them all pictures he drew, or read books alongside them, and even sang songs. You can use any video chat app to connect with grandparents or other family members - but I will say, from experience, it is harder for small kids to talk to each other. Each wants to be the one talking, and they have no listening skills - no matter how much you try!

So, setting up your own virtual Easter egg hunt may only work with grandparents, but if you have enough patience, try it out with toddlers in different areas!

Steps To Create Your Own Virtual Easter Egg Hunt: 

1. Collaborate with your family and friends about what type of virtual egg hunt you want each family to have. Plan out if you're going to do an egg hunt prize for each kid, or the one who gets the most eggs could get an online gift card to Target (this only works with older kids). Brainstorm other ideas that the kids could take part in together - all while on video chat.

2. Plan out a specific time that you want to video chat with your relatives. Figure out if you will be just talking to one household (which Facetime, Duo, or Facebook chat could work for this), or multiple homes, use the free version of GoToMeeting or WebEx (my personal favorite), or Facebook messenger. I want to mention it again. I DO NOT RECCOMEND ZOOM because of hackers, data selling, and other connectivity issues. Read more here.

3. If you are new to video technology, test out your video chat before Easter, to make sure that it works with your internet connection and technical skills. And if there are a few people that are new to technology like this, your best bet is probably Facebook Messenger because on their phones, it comes up just like FaceTime.

4. Hide all the eggs in your living room or backyard and have your kids search while you chat with family members through video or place your phone/computer on a table so everyone can see what's happening at your home. Your kids can show off their Easter baskets to grandparents in real-time and get excited to see their cousins stash also. Count all the eggs together and see who has the most. 

5. If you are looking to do these often, invest a small amount of money to get a tripod. This Arken Mount Pro Phone Stand is the one we use because it is sturdy, and the four-year-old cannot pick it up and run around the house. But there are also plenty of cheaper phone tripods that work well to keep your video stable.  

6. If you are looking for more than just a virtual easter egg hunt, try finding one recipe that you and your extended family can get excited about and cook it both in your own homes and compare over video. Even better - grab the same bottle of wine. While it obviously isn’t the same as being together, chatting while drinking the same wine can make you feel a little closer (and that is the point of these virtual happy hours when we cannot physically be around our loved ones and friends).

Get Into The Spring Spirit In Your Neighborhood with an Easter Egg Scavenger Hunt.  

There are other ways to participate with members of your community, by decorating your front yard, and windows with pictures of Easter eggs, and walking around the block to see all the Easter eggs around your neighborhood. If you’re not already connected with neighbors through the Nextdoor app, I recommend checking it out. 

On the second day of our shelter in place here in the Bay Area, someone in our neighborhood posted about putting four-leaf clovers in their windows and having a St. Patrick's Day window hunt. Ryeson would get excited about finding a few four-leaf clovers around. 

I'm hoping there will be more Easter eggs because the whole neighborhood has more time to plan. <3