SHELL GAMES
Competitive parents can turn Easter fun into a greedy spectacle
How to prevent a cracking Easter egg hunt from turning into a basket case,
In Colorado, a group of big-footed parents has scrambled plans for the annual Easter egg hunt that usually attracts hundreds of children.
In the GTA, organizers are doing their best to prevent the tradition —intended for tots but occasionally at risk of being hijacked by overzealous adults — from turning into a tale of rotten egg-hunters.
Officials in Colorado Springs blamed their decision to halt this year’s hunt on memories of the 2011 debacle, when frenzied parents hopped the rope barriers at the local park to scoop up candy on behalf of their kids, cleaning out the supply in mere seconds.
Such fervor is not unheard of in Canada either. In Belleville, the popular Easter Eggstravaganza hunt was cancelled this year for budget reasons. But there had also been signs that the hunt in a local park, aimed at kids under 8, was becoming more like a family stampede. In 2008, organizers reported that the 20,000 chocolate eggs were collected in less than six minutes.
Next to those examples, the scenario that unfolded in the Children’s Garden at Toronto’s High Park last weekend was positively pastoral.
The 65 children who turned up to hunt for eggs in the alphabet-shaped raised flowerbeds on Sunday were excited, says Philip Cheong, program officer with nearby Colborne Lodge who has overseen the event for several years.
But there’s always enough for everyone, so parents are encouraged to be hands-off.
“We’re not encouraging helicopter parents here. We tell them it’s for the kids.”
“We’re not encouraging helicopter parents here. We tell them it’s for the kids.” PHILIP CHENONG COLBORNE LODGE
Separate hunts were held for children 5 and under and those 6 and up. And volunteers were on hand to level the hunting field. They discreetly scattered more foil-wrapped eggs and lollipops near pint-sized hunters who weren’t finding their fair share.
This Saturday, Shannon Perry will rely on the same low-key approach for the three Easter hunts she’s organizing at King George Jr. Public School in Toronto’s west end. Chocolate eggs will be spread around the playground and collected by kids only.
Protective parents need not worry. Perry has enlisted student helpers who will dress up as bunnies and be strategically positioned to assist the smallest hunter-gatherers. (They will also have well-stocked pockets to replenish supplies.)
“Everyone will have a chance,” says Perry. The event, running from noon until 3:30 p.m., will be sponsored by her fitness and active learning centre Kidz 360 ( www.kidz360.ca).
Meanwhile, hunts running Friday through Monday at Mountsberg Wildlife Centre in Halton are individual pursuits.
Instead of racing against one another to accumulate a stash, children set out with one mission: to find the one wooden egg that matches the ticket they select at the starting line. Once they find their egg in the designated hunting area, they redeem it for a candy prize.
“The kids are not all going after the same thing and everybody gets a prize,” says customer service rep Emily Kurrat. In the Town of Whitchurch Stouffville, Saturday’s annual Easter egg hunt is less about foraging and more about socializing. The town operates a “guided hunt for candy” that starts at the GO Train station hourly from 10 a.m. through 1 p.m. Parents push strollers and pull wagons and kids carry Easter baskets as they are directed on a 90-minute walking tour to about 40 local businesses that dole out treats, says organizer Anna Rose.
Adults mingle, kids get treats and no one gets out of control.
“You don’t get the craziness,” says Rose. “We’ve got enough for everyone.”