[Summit] Easter egg hunt

[Emlyn Addison]

I completely agree that non-religious events such as this really do invite
true community togetherness--and that it was organized by our own
neighborhood association is a plus. But I can think of less, ahem, feverish
opportunities for _actual_ social interaction..!

Really, our disappointment just came down to a few practical
considerations. I've never organized an easter egg hunt, least of all one
of this scope, but I'd imagine that there are, by now, a few well-worn do's
and don'ts that might have made this a more fulfilling experience for all.

- How about small groups of 20-30 kids at a time instead of one, massive
free-for-all? This would give organizers an opportunity to replenish some
of the stocks between groups, to give every kid at least a fighting chance
at finding a prize.

- Judging by the number of empty eggs we saw, I think the hunt could stand
to have a greater percentage of eggs with prizes in them. Yes, it's a
"hunt" but..really, it's not a hunt. These are young children who are just
thrilled at the prospect of finding goodies. I estimate this figure was
hovering around 20%; it needs to be more like 90%.

- If the egg-to-prize ratio was higher than 20%, then it suggests that the
first wave of kids (read: the first 12 seconds) picked through anything
that rattled, and left the empty ones for the late-comers (read: after the
first 12 seconds).

- I hate to suggest this, but there does need to be some moderation,
presumably enforced by parents. Some kids worked just to find 2 or 3 eggs,
while others were dragging out bags of them. Maybe the easter baskets
themselves should be supplied by the SNA (and, thus, a part of the
registration fee)? Just an idea.

- There must be examples of successful easter egg hunts organized in other
neighborhoods/cities/states, so the above is strictly my own first
impressions.


We "found" about 10 eggs in all, but all of them were empty. A mother
nearby us noticed our rotten luck and was kind enough to give my girl one
of hers. Community-mindedness kicked in, despite the disorganization!

Emlyn





On Sat, Mar 30, 2013 at 11:59 AM, James Barfoot <barfootjim at gmail.com>wrote:

> I agree that pre-schoolers racing to see if they can get more eggs than
> anybody else is not ultimately satisfying.
> Neither is getting a late (even by 30 seconds) start and only getting to
> pick up 2 eggs.
>
> However, it occurred to me that the whole scene is rife with possibilities
> for social interaction lessons.
>
> So, what changes can you, or anyone on the list,  suggest that would make
> it better?  What should be the purpose behind such an event?
> Surely not reinforcing greedy accumulation as a guiding principle.
> Building community togetherness, certainly, but could there be more?
>
>
>
> On Mar 30, 2013, at 10:36 AM, Emlyn Addison <noisyblocks at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> > Thank you to all the folks who worked to organize this east egg hunt for
> the kids; I understand how much time & effort this must have taken and east
> side parents like myself really do appreciate that our neighborhood
> association takes the initiative in making these things happen.
> >
> > I'm only too happy to support the SNA with my $5, but that was the most
> disappointing and least fulfilling easter egg hunt I can remember.
> >
> > At least my little girl got to meet Miss Rhode Island at registration,
> even if the "hunt" was a total wash.
> >
> >
> > Emlyn
> >
> > _______________________________________________
> > Summit mailing list
> > Summit at sna.providence.ri.us
> > http://sna.providence.ri.us/mailman/listinfo/summit_sna.providence.ri.us
> > SNA Website: http://sna.providence.ri.us/
>
>
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