Ostara Egg Hunt!

Check out pictures from the Ostara event that was held in the La Bagh Forest Preserves. We had a blast with the egg hunt, as well as making baskets to hold them in. After the hunt, we all partook of wonderful Ostara feast. Everyone brought a dish and all of the dishes were eggcellent! Thanks again to all of the Pagan Parents who made this a wonderful holiday for all of our witchlings! The event was so successful that we will definately be doing this next year! The date is set for April 1st (no, not a joke! haha!). Pagans and their families of all paths are invited to join us to welcome Spring, and to come and meet each other as well! Children of all ages are welcome! Come dressed in all the wonderful colors of fresh flowers in early bloom! We'll be at Labagh Woods in Chicago, with the entrance on the east side of Cicero, just north of Foster, grove 1. It's the big one all on it's lonesome, to your left as you enter the woods. There will be signs posted at the grove entrance for your convenience. (The grove capacity is set at 500 people, so you KNOW it's big!) At 11am, we will begin creating our baskets from empty milk cartons, which you should bring one for each child participating - everything else will be provided. The egg hunt will begin afterwards with a potluck feast to follow. You may, of course, show up with a premade basket if you choose. Water and soft drinks, healthy and sweet treats, and utensil necessities will be provided. If you have certain foods you cannot eat, prepare a dish you'd love to share! Recipie swapping is always a good thing :) We're asking $5 a person to cover costs, but it's not mandatory; eggs get pretty pricey ;) Plans include games for children of all ages, storytelling, craft projects, a short hike, face painting, balloons and also a nap area for smaller ones. Prize tickets will be found in some plastic eggs, a raffle drawing will be held for a couple *choice* children's prizes, as well as children's door prizes throughout the day (all prizes will be Pagan themed, of course). We have secured a large sheltered grove, with fireburning priviledges, ample parking and flush toilets. Please dress for the weather, and don't be shy about bringing blankies and toys, or other things to make yourselves comfortable. At this time (2/9/01), we are undecided if we would like to hold a short Circle for the kids; if you would like to host this, by all means contact me! I can be reached by email (me@DoomDiva.com) or by phone, at 773/645-8464. We are always accepting suggestions and volunteers! (Actually, we need all the help we can get to make sure this is successful!) And...please pray for good weather! I will cancel if it rains too hard, and I am unsure if I can reschedule! Also, let me know if you plan on attending, so I can get a general idea of how many people to expect. Any donations which exceed costs will be reserved for future programs offered by the Chi-PP. We anticipate to come close to breaking even. A full cost run-down will be made available upon request. Starting this year, glass bottles of any variety are STRICTLY PROHIBITED from any Cook County Forest Preseve. I will make an effort to offer recycling bins, but please do not bring any glass bottles to the woods. It seems they have had a problem in the past with broken glass hurting animals :( Finally, as Pagans, I don't think I need to remind everyone to respect the forest preserve, and tidy up after yourselves. We're better than that; we leave the land BETTER than we found it! :) I have no problem with being the sole member of the clean-up crew, but make it easy on me, ok? *** FUN ACTIVITIES FOR KIDS *** An Ostara Cartoon! (3 acts, each one takes a few seconds to download) Act 1: The Ostara Bunny wakes up... Act 2: He trots along with his basket of eggs Act 3: The Ostara Bunny gets a surprise! Ostara Egg Hunt Coloring Sheet You may print out the sheet for your children. Have them color the sheet, and find the 14 hidden eggs along the way! The cartoon and coloring sheet are created by me. You are free to copy and paste the images onto your own site, but DO NOT link to here! Back to the Chi-PP

Here's the specs: - Sunday, April 1st, 2001 - All Ages! - Labagh Woods (map & directions) - 11am to ??? - $5 donation requested per person - Bring a basket or a milk carton bottom (see below) - Bring a dish to share for the potluck feast! - Come dressed in all the colors of Spring! Have your milk carton ready! Step 1: Clean out a plastic gallon milk carton Step 2: Make a dotted line across the middle, under the handle Step 3: Cut along the dotted line, and then bring in the bottom to make your basket! Remember: If you don't care for doing this, or you just don't have the time, you are free to bring a ready-made basket. Grass and all the goodies will be available!