Primary Times - the definitive what’s on and where to go family guide of activities and events for children of primary school age. Things to do with your kids during the school holidays including arts and craft activities, music and theatre for children, parties, competitions, days out, and family attractions along with term time drama schools, dance classes, after school clubs and sports activities. Things to do at a place near you!
Easter activities in Cornwall
Gardens, parks, attractions and even houses will be scattered with Easter eggs this March and April as eagle-eyed youngsters go on the hunt for these oval shaped objects, and hope for a surprise and a treat!
To read about Easter events and activities in Cornwall click here...
Easy to Make: Easter Bunny Bunting 
Decorate the walls and window frames with these bright little bunnies. To make: buy a variety of patterned card, place a basic bunny template on top of each piece of card and draw around it. Cut this out and glue on a small ball of cotton wool for a tail. To finish, attach each bunny to a natural piece of string using mini wooden pegs.
Easy to Make: Eggy Lambs 
These funky-looking lambs will look a treat perched on a mantelpiece or sideboard. Plus they’re so easy to create – simply roll small pieces of cotton wool into balls and glue these to the surface of the egg. Cover the whole egg with cotton wool, leaving a space at the front where you can add a funny face!
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Very young children may wish to use hard-boiled eggs, whilst slightly older-children may use hollowed-out eggs. Cover the smooth glass-like surface of egg with acrylic paint. Using a mixture of soft brushes, coat the egg in a base colour. To add detail, use a fine brush dipped in paint or glitter, or use finely-tipped pens.
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Easter egg hunts with a difference:
The Easter Egg Hunt is usually pretty-high up on the Easter activity list but what are the alternative options to searching for chocolate eggs?
Primary Times has been on its own ‘hunt’ for fun ideas that will get the kids active, listening and counting… Here they are:
Matching Sound Egg Hunt
Test your child’s auditory processing ability by creating a game that will encourage them to match a sound in an egg case to an image of the item that is making the sound (in the egg case) on a printed sheet of paper.
You can fill the egg cases with items such as coins or pasta shapes or seeds.
Once all the eggs and sounds have been matched, the children can be rewarded with a treat.
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Lay on some fun energy-burning Easter egg hunts for the kids.
Simply hide several plastic empty egg cases around the house, garden or local park and fill them with little notes inscribed with a physical activity to complete.
Each egg has a fun mini exercise challenge for the kids. For example, this could be: do ten star jumps; run on the spot for 2 minutes, do a roly-poly.
After all that exertion, the kids will have earnt their chocolate treat!
Colour matching and maths Egg Hunt Game
This is a simple game where children hunt for coloured eggs.
You may wish to use mini chocolate eggs wrapped in different coloured tin foil and hide them around the garden.
Once all the eggs have been collected they can be separated by colour and counted – and then consumed!
The Story of the Easter Egg
The humble egg is the food most synonymous with Easter. It symbolises the start of new life, rebirth and fertility. Many people associate the egg with Christian values at Easter, yet the egg also played a role in lots of pre-Christian festivals celebrated by the Ancient Egyptians, Persians and Romans.
In the Middle Ages when people were unable to eat eggs during Lent they began to decorate and store them for Easter Sunday and the tradition of the egg hunt began.
The first chocolate Easter eggs were made in France and Germany in the early 19th Century, and in 1873 the first British chocolate Easter egg was produced by Fry’s.
Cadbury quickly followed producing a chocolate egg in 1875 and by 1892 produced 19 different types of eggs.
Today, the UK chocolate Easter egg market is worth more than £220 million with sales growing every year. Cadbury’s Crème Egg is the most popular and over 500 million eggs are made every year.
Easter Adventures
Easter trails, scavenger hunts, egg and spoon races, bottle-feeding lambs, beach cleans – you name it – there’s plenty of adventures to be had this spring.
Easter Egg Hunts are usually a big hit with youngsters who simply love becoming mini-explorers and what’s more, this fun activity can be affordable.
You have the choice of hosting an egg-citing Easter Egg hunt in your back garden or local park, or alternatively head to a local attraction and enjoy the novelty of the occasion with lots of other families.
During the Easter school holiday, should the weather allow, go outdoors each day for some free fun.
It’s easy to distract children with uncomplicated activities such as spotting and naming clouds, searching for mini-beasts or seashore critters, visiting and perhaps bottle-feeding newborn lambs, watching a spider weaving a web, and following slimy snail trails. It’s all great fun and doesn’t cost a penny!
Nature Hunt for Kids
It’s spring! That means it’s time to head outdoors and go on a nature hunt! See how many of these activities your child can tick off this spring:
- Go cloud-spotting
- Find a twig shaped like a letter
- Search for animal tracks
- Hunt for mini beasts and bugs
- Look for a tree with blossoms
- Count the daffodils
- Follow the snail trails
- Draw a picture of a wild flower
- Search for spider webs
- Look for a squirrel
Mums and dads: why not take photos of what you find on your nature adventures this spring and share these with our other readers on Primary Times Facebook Cornwall?
So, why is Easter on a different date each year?
Easter always falls on the first Sunday after the full moon that happens on or after the Spring Equinox on 21 March. That means Easter can be celebrated at any time between 22 March and 25 April.
Walks for Little Legs
Families are being encouraged to put one foot in front of the other onto the streets, forests, parks, beaches and countryside in May.
The choice of walks in the county is vast and if you’re needing a little direction there’s a great website – www.iwalkcornwall.co.uk – which lists several walks of varying difficulty – from easy circular routes in the woods to strenuous stretches of the coastline.
Keep up the exercise by walking to school too - see www.livingstreets.org.uk
Find out what's going-on this Easter in Cornwall here...
Paradise Park’s Easter Egg Hunt: 30 March to 15 April
Paradise Park is one place you are guaranteed to find plenty of eggs whether it is of the chocolate kind, or of the animal kind, with spring hatchlings popping out! Take part in the fun Easter Egg Hunt along a special trail in the park. Find the answers to the clues, to claim a free mini egg treat. Plus, Easter also sees the beginning of the ‘Eagles of Paradise Display’ and the ‘Free Flying Bird Show’ - see macaws, owls and eagles fly just above your head.
Afterwards, let the children play on the fantastic giant slides and multi-level soft play in the huge indoor JungleBarn. For details call 01736 753365 or visit www.paradisepark.org.uk
Hop Aboard the Easter Eggspress at Lappa Valley Steam Railway 
Join Lappa Valley Steam Railway from Friday 30 March to Monday 2 April for plenty of family friendly Easter fun. A whole host of Easter themed activities are included in the standard admission, including train rides with the Easter Bunny, a colouring competition, duck racing with prizes and an Easter quiz trail where all children can win a chocolate egg.
The Easter Bunny will be very busy at Lappa Valley leaving clues on the Easter trail as well as hopping on the 125 train to drive visitors around the Woodland Railway. This is a weekend not to be missed. Visit www.lappavalley.co.uk for full details.
Explosive Easter At Flambards 
Younger visitors can enjoy experiments, explosions and a chocolate egg trail as part of an action-packed Easter at Flambards Theme Park, from 24 March to 15 April.
The Helston attraction is fully open throughout the holiday and will be running an all-new ‘Explosive Easter’ event, from 31 March to 8 April, with a team of madcap scientists staging a series of explosive fun experiments in their indoor laboratory. Youngsters can even have a go making gunge with the scientists. The 30-minute shows are at 1pm and 3pm daily.
On 1 April, Flambards’ foxy mascot Ferdi will be leading the big Easter Egg Quiz Trail. Just find the clues dotted around the park, then hand in your quiz sheet for a chocolate egg.
There’s live daily entertainment from 9 to 15 April and the park’s award-winning indoor Victorian Village is staging its own Penny Dreadful Quiz Trail too. Call 01326 573404 or visit www.flambards.co.uk for more information.
Eggcellent, farmtastic fun at DairyLand
A fun-filled family day out is to be had at DairyLand Farmworld, near Newquay, this Easter!
Enjoy eggcellent, farmtastic fun for all the family with eggciting craft workshops from 30 March right through to 2 April.
Every inch of the park is packed with entertaining activities, events and things to see and do…whatever your age and whatever the weather!
Don’t forget, you can enjoy seven days for the price of one. Visit www.dairylandfarmworld.com or call 01872 510246.
Have a cracking Easter at Camel Creek Adventure Park!
Camel Creek Adventure Park re-opens for the 2018 season on 24 March and is quickly followed by two weeks of cracking Easter activities from the 31 March. The Easter holidays are hard to beat as they have exclusive appearances from Peppa Pig on the 3 April and Titan the Robot on the 10 April.
Plus, there are even a few new spring animal arrivals! Revel in the Golden Egg Hunt to win Family Membership (for up to 4 individuals) and meet the Easter Bunny who will be ‘hopping by’ on Easter Sunday. Buy your tickets online in advance and save 10%. For further details check www.camelcreek.co.uk
Eggstreme Easter Egg Trail at Newquay Zoo
Join Newquay Zoo for their Eggstreme Easter Egg trail during the Easter weekend.
Complete the special trail to claim a tasty chocolate treat, learn all about the animals at one of the daily talks at the Zoo, then watch the animals tuck in to some yummy enrichment.
After all that eggcitement, let the face painter turn your little ones into little animals with face painting in The Barn.
Call 01637 873342 or see www.newquayzoo.org.uk
Enjoy a cracking Easter at Crealy from 30 March to 15 April
This Easter, Crealy Adventure Park will be hosting its biggest Easter egg hunt ever and will be welcoming a very special guest too! From Good Friday, follow the clues around the theme park and collect your sweet reward in Crealy’s huge, annual egg-stravaganza.
Don’t forget to meet Buttons the Bunny whilst you’re there! Then, an extra-special guest will be visiting Crealy…Yes, the funny, clumsy and loveable Marshall from PAW Patrol will be at the park every day from the 9th until 13th April! During your visit, you will have the chance to meet Marshall and there will be photo opportunities with the heroic pup himself.
There is limited availability so book your theme park tickets in advance online and save money, and don’t forget to validate your ticket before you leave Crealy to receive seven days of fun for the price of one. This event is free for Annual Members. See www.crealy.co.uk
Have a blast at Pendennis Castle, Falmouth 
From 30 March to 15 April, travel back in time and meet the Tudors at Pendennis Castle. Hear muskets roar, take part in kids’ drills, and discover how the castle garrison defended the coast from foreign invaders. Plus, discover new sights, sounds and tours for 2018. Be transported into a threatened 16th-century invasion and the tension of Second World War military defence as new interactive experiences bring to life 450 years of history. Visit www.english-heritage.org.uk/pendennis
Have fun this Easter and Spring at Country Skittles
Country Skittles is a great place to enjoy great food and have fun. With 4 bowling (skittle) alleys, plenty of games including an amazing 2-player Guitar Hero arcade machine, air hockey, 2-seater Super Mario racing game, mini-crazy golf, and a great value kids’ menu, there is everything that is needed to make the holiday great fun.
With prices starting from £1.60 per person for bowling, and kid’s meals from £4.25 – you know where to go this spring. Don’t forget the fantastic birthday packages, offering amazing value at only £10.50 per head. For details call 01736 850209.
Easter Egg Hunt and Carvery Feasts at Jamaica Inn this Easter
Young imaginations will run riot with stories of piratical and smuggling antics at Jamaica Inn this Easter holiday. Children can be cunning captains of the pirate ship and test their grey matter in the quiz in the smugglers museum where they can win a prize. Extra entertainment is planned for Easter Sunday.
Children can be transformed into their favourite character with face painting, and the Easter Egg hunt at 1pm on 1st April will send families all over the garden at Jamaica Inn in hungry pursuit of the hidden eggs.
Delicious, traditional Sunday carveries will be served – just don’t forget to book your place in advance to avoid disappointment. Kids’ eat for half price between 5pm and 6pm during the Easter holiday (for under 12’s accompanied by a paying adult). The fun continues on 7th April, when Screech Owl Sanctuary will be paying a visit between 12pm and 3pm. Find Jamaica Inn at Bolventor, near Launceston (PL15 7TS). For details visit www.jamaicainn.co.uk or call 01566 86250.
Don’t miss the family fun at Bodmin and Wenford Steam Railway
There’s an extended opportunity to ‘eggsplore’ and follow the trail by rail with the annual Easter Egg Hunt running from 27 March to 15 April at the Bodmin and Wenford Railway, this year. Whilst in May, the railway will be taken over by bears!
Meet Paddington when he stops at Bodmin General Station for a unique visit on 12 and 13 May. Meet the very special bear at intervals on each day. Plus, there will be steam trains, stories, music and more… See www.bodminrailway.co.uk for more details.
Did you know?
- Easter chocolate sales make up 10% of Britain's annual spending on chocolate.
- The UK chocolate Easter Egg market is worth in excess of £220 million.
- If you laid all the Cadbury Creme Eggs made in a year from end to end, it would stretch from Bourneville, Birmingham to Sydney, Australia.
- Easter is the second most popular time of the year for eating chocolate.
- J.S. Fry of Bristol produced the first chocolate eggs in 1873.
Why is Easter on a different date each year?
Easter always falls on the first Sunday after the full moon that happens on or after the Spring Equinox on 21 March. That means Easter can be celebrated at any time between 22 March and 25 April.
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