The Mindful Home: An All Natural Easter: Eco Friendly, Non-Toxic Easter Basket Ideas

When it comes to Easter, the thing I identify with most is the connection to nature - the welcoming of spring. I'm particularly drawn to items that nurture that connection, inspire creativity, and will be played with long after Easter is over. We have a "less is more" philosophy in our household, where a handful of well crafted, natural toys that can be passed down from one child to the next are far more valued than the quantity of toys. There are plenty of alternatives to baskets filled with plastic eggs, grass and candy, and here are some traditional and nontraditional options that are all made with natural materials. Of course, these are all merely suggestions. Hopefully they will provide inspiration and ideas for a new approach to Easter baskets.

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THE BASICS:

Basket sections at the local Michaels, Joann, TJMaxx and Marshalls stores seem to be expanding these days, so finding baskets of natural materials is probably the easiest task. However, there are some different and interesting options available, like a Bolga basket or DIY basket kit from A Toy Garden, or metal pails from For Small Hands can also make a fun and different basket idea. There are plenty of alternatives to plastic grass filler. Rather than purchasing green grass filler, you could always recycle green tissue paper from past gifts - either shred it or leave it crumpled, or simply use green cloth napkins or a piece of fabric. Raffia would make a nice nest-like filler as well, and is very inexpensive and easy to find at craft stores. Play Silks are another option, like the one from Beneath the Rowan Tree, which can be used to play with for years after Easter. Sunny Sprout makes a grass green play silk as well, in addition to a shredded silk option to fill baskets. Finally, wool is a nice idea for a natural filler. The Wooden Wagon sells a plant dyed variety, and Nova Natural carries green wool fleece.

A Toy Garden:
Bolga Baskets from Ghana

A Toy Garden:
DIY Basket Making Kit

For Small Hands:
Small Metal Pails

Beneath the Rowan Tree:
Grass Green Play Silk

Sunny Sprout:
Shredded Strips of Silk

Save On Crafts:
Bag of Green Raffia

Nova Natural:
Green Wool Fleece

The Wooden Wagon:
Plant Dyed Wool

EGGS:

A little bit of searching will turn up dozens of tutorials on how to dye eggs naturally at home, but for those who would like to avoid synthetic dyes without taking the time to make them from scratch themselves, there are two natural dye kits available, and there is a tutorial on the BigSisLilSis blog that shows how to make the gorgeous eggs pictured below.

If you'd prefer to skip the dye all together, Sunny Sprout offers wooden eggs painted in nontoxic finishes of both pastel/earth tones, as well as rainbow ones. Nova Natural has natural, unpainted eggs (great for play kitchens as well), and egg shaped beeswax candles. Asherjasper has a variety of beautifully crafted felt critters, some of which are sold in egg cartons for a fun twist on a traditional basket. Beneath the Rowan Tree has numerous wool easter toys, including many felted eggs with surprises that can be bundled up inside - all gorgeous and unique.

A Toy Garden:
Eco Kids Egg Dying Kit

Nova Natural:
Plant-Based Egg Dying Kit

BigSisLilSis Blog:
Natural Dye Egg Tutorial

Sunny Sprout:
Wooden Painted Eggs

Nova Natural:
Colored Beeswax Eggs

Nova Natural:
Wooden Eggs and Carton

Asherjasper:
Wooly Animals in Carton

Beneath the Rowan Tree:
Felted Egg and Bunny

ANIMALS:

Felt and wooden animals are a nice substitute for plastic ones. Here we have felt rabbits from Beneath the Rowan Tree and A Toy Garden, and A Toy Garden also carries a set of wooden rabbits made by KinderKram. The Wooden Wagon has an exceptional selection of Ostheimer figures - all kinds of farm and woodland animals, like the chick pictured below. Anamalz are a fun option of posable animals, coming in everything from farm animals to jungle animals, and Squishy Tushy has a nice selection. Willow's Nestings offers adorable mushroom gnomes sleeping in leaves, and for something different, Magical Attic has beautifully made felt masks of all creatures, including rabbits. Finally, for an alternative to polyester based stuffed animals, Blabla dolls are hand knit by Peruvian artisans, and are 100% cotton. They carry all sorts of spring themed dolls - bees, rabbits, sheep and even a flower-headed doll. Woolies "creates heirloom quality artisan stuffed animals and dolls, naturally." (taken from their site) Woolies creations are some of the best I've seen! There are many sheep and rabbits listed for sale right now it was hard to pick just one. They are handmade and worth every penny!

Beneath the Rowan Tree:
Felted Bunnies

A Toy Garden:
Stitched Felt Bunnies

A Toy Garden:
Kinderkram Rabbits

The Wooden Wagon:
Ostheimer Figures

Squishy Tushy:
Anamalz Posable Figures

Willow's Nestings:
Sleeping Gnomes

Magical Attic:
Felt Animal Masks

Blabla Kids:
Hand Knit Cotton Dolls

Woolies:
Knit and Felted Sheep

Woolies:
Stuffed Chenille Lamb

Woolies:
Knit Stuffed Rabbit

Woolies:
Knit Stuffed Rabbits

THINKING OUTSIDE THE BASKET:

For those looking for some less traditional options, there are plenty out there. When I think of Easter, I think of all things spring - plants, nature, gardening... I love the idea of inspiring children to explore their surroundings, and learn about the earth and its creatures. Why not fill baskets with garden tools, spring themed puzzles, games and DIY kits. For Small Hands is a Montessori company with lots of tools sized for children, as well as educational toys. Seedling is a company based out of New Zealand, that has created many eco-friendly DIY kits, and many of them can be found at Moolka.com.

A Toy Garden:
Garden Tote and Tools

A Toy Garden:
Children's Gloves

Moolka:
Root Viewer Growing Kit

Moolka:
Seedling Birdhouse Kit

Moolka:
Seedling Make A Kite Kit

Moolka:
Seedling Explorer Kit

For Small Hands:
Wildflowers/Birds Fandex

A Toy Garden:
DIY Sunprint Kit

PUZZLES, GAMES, MISC:

A Toy Garden has several spring themed puzzles, as well as some natural branch blocks. The Wooden Wagon carries all sorts of different options, from a flower stacking toy to a puzzle cube, a really neat rabbit that walks down a ramp and the beautiful rolling toy with the rainbow ball inside. Instruments are another possibility, like a bird shaped flute or an egg shaped shaker/rattle. Raptor Baby has a great memory game with Easter images on wooden tiles, and wands from Butterfly Cove and Beneath the Rowan Tree would be a fun addition to any basket.

A Toy Garden:
Birds in Tree Puzzle

A Toy Garden:
Wooden Rainbow Puzzle

A Toy Garden:
Natural Branch Blocks

The Wooden Wagon:
Flower Stacker

The Wooden Wagon:
Wooden Block Puzzle

The Wooden Wagon:
Rabbit Ramp Walker

The Wooden Wagon:
Rabbit Push Toy

The Wooden Wagon:
Lark Clay Flute

For Small Hands:
Egg Rattle/Shaker

Raptor Baby:
Easter Memory Match

Butterfly Cove:
Felt Play Wand

Beneath the Rowan Tree:
Play Silk Streamer

DO IT YOURSELF:

There are a number of DIY options available, from tutorials like the ones from The Alison Show for bunny finger puppets, felted animals from Beneath the Rowan Tree, or a felt fairy wand by Wee Folk Art (my FAVORITE site for tutorials). They can add extra love to an Easter basket with handmade items, and kits from A Toy Garden could be a gift themselves for children old enough to complete them, or they provide everything necessary to add your own finished handmade item.