On the morning of April 2, the sun shone bright and 1,000 colorful eggs were spread across the neon green grass outside the Northside Library. The Northside Eggstravaganza drew over 300 people and among them were an estimated 120 young children.
“We wanted a weekday hunt so stay-at-home parents, grandparents and nannies could come and participate; this event is geared toward toddlers and preschool aged kids,” says Cheryl Lee, branch manager and program coordinator of Northside Library.
Unlike traditional egg hunts, which last for one minute as children scramble to grab eggs, this egg hunt spanned over half an hour and came with an educational component. Speaking into a microphone, Lee instructed children to grab selected colors of eggs during several rounds. Children practiced color recognition as they zipped through the grass to snatch eggs of named colors before time was up.
“The kids also have to count the eggs they have,” adds Lee, referring to the math the children must do.
What also made this egg hunt different from the norm was a rule restricting children from gathering their eggs in traditional Easter baskets. They had to use their arms and hands instead. So participants utilized their fine motor skills while they carried smooth, slippery plastic eggs to a table to trade in for prizes. Prizes included stickers, pencils, temporary tattoos and small craft kits. Lee jokes that another skill the children were learning was patience, as they had to wait in line for their prizes and wait for others to get their prizes before she could announce the next round.
Joe Castro brought his two year-old daughter to the Eggstravaganza.
“I think it’s fun and organized,” he says. “It’s good for the kids. My daughter got some pencils as prizes. She’s learning about colors here.”
