EASTER ACTIVITIES
Surrounded by the beautiful Ribble Valley countryside, there’s no need to go anywhere this Easter, writes Sarah Varley
Here are some great ideas for family fun activities to make the most of the holidays at home over Easter.
Enjoy a spring walk
Easter is the perfect time to get outdoors with so many signs of spring bursting into life to spot along the way. Choose a walk length to suit the whole group – you don’t have to go far to enjoy blooming daffodils, bluebells and cherry blossom or spot spring lambs and plenty of birds and wildlife.
Studies show spending just five minutes in nature can boost your mood and ability to focus and reduce anxiety. Even reluctant teenagers will enjoy themselves once they get going! Why not plan a walk that ends in one of our beautiful villages for tea and cake or a pub lunch?
Visit a farm park
We have some fantastic farm parks in the area, and they are great places for a simple but satisfying day out. Children can get up close to farm animals and enjoy some good old-fashioned outdoor fun. Easter is an especially good time to visit, with special egg hunts and other events, as well as lovely experiences like bottle feeding lambs and collecting eggs from the hens. Ride-on tractors are always a big hit with vehicle-mad little ones and there are plenty of treats to be found in the cafes.
Easter baking
Easter is the perfect time to show off your baking with a showstopping cake for Easter lunch, or just to have fun baking with the kids, especially on a rainy day. From the very traditional Simnel cake or hot cross buns to fun carrot cake decorated with little carrots or simple crispy cake nests topped with mini eggs, there are lots of Easter bakes to inspire you.
Get kids gardening
Why not let children have a go at growing their own plants? The Easter holidays are a perfect time to sow summer veg and flowers and children will love to watch their plants grow. All sorts of containers can be recycled for sowing seeds, get imaginative with different pots and let children decorate them. Sow pansies, calendula, salad leaves or sweet peas, place them on the windowsill and keep the compost moist but not soaking.
Try growing egg cress heads for a really simple Easter-themed activity – put wet kitchen paper in the bottoms of egg shells, decorate with faces, sprinkle cress seeds onto the paper and the cressy hair should grow in a few days.
If they’re really keen, you could give children their own little garden plot to grow sunflowers, marigolds or vegetables – a great way to encourage a lifelong love of gardening and nature.
