This weekend is Easter and every Catholic remembers the joy of hunting for those treasure filled eggs on a spring Sunday morning. Mine were filled with jelly beans and maybe some change but nowadays I think parents are filling them with $20 bills! Oh to be a kid again! Anyway, I digress...for those of you who are not observing this holiday you can still go on the hunt, and have your kids do it too! Here are some ideas for simple non-religious scavenger hunts:

1. Spring Hunt: On a sheet of paper copy and paste pictures of spring things like tulips, daffodils, forsythia branches (the bright yellow ones), and other flowers you have in your garden or nearby park. In addition you can add plastic bunnies and/or squirrels (the live ones I find do not cooperate as well). Ahead of time glue printed numbers on mini stakes and place them in the ground near each object. When they find what matches the picture they write the corresponding number on their sheet. When they fill in all the numbers they get a prize.

2. Safari Hunt: This is a favorite of ours - buy safari themed stuffed animals like lions, tigers giraffes, and zebras and follow the same steps as above. The stuffed animals can even be given away as prizes.

3. Kid Program Hunt: Choose your child' favorite TV program (think Wonder Pets) and find pictures of the characters online. Print them out and glue them to stakes and follow steps from the first hunt.

All of these are simple, cheap and fun ways to get your kids out of the house this weekend, or any weekend when the sun is shining. Add some burgers on the BBQ, get some beer, juice boxes and a salad and invite the neighbors for an instant and entertaining party!