“Usually what my family does on Easter is we all get together at my dad’s and all of the grandkids do a big Easter egg hunt. It’s been a tradition in our family since we were kids.” Today, however, things are a bit different.

It is Easter Sunday today and even though provincial COVID-19 measures have restricted groups of over ten people from meeting, that has not stopped some local families from making the best of the situation.
Jo-Anne Dalton says her family’s annual Easter egg hunt may have been altered by present circumstances, but it was not ruined. Instead, she has organized a home-based event for her nieces and nephews over video chat.

“I put together a little PowerPoint for the kids to do a home scavenger hunt,” she says.

Rather than mooning over foil-wrapped chocolate, Dalton’s young relatives will be running around their houses finding the objects she requests and presenting them to her via Zoom.

“Some of them will be Easter themed, some of them will be regular household items, and some of them will have specific requirements like: ‘find something that is taller than you.’”

While the kids rush to and fro, the parents will be playing a family trivia game, also over video call.

Dalton is the Executive Director of the Steinbach Family Resource Centre and says many of these ideas have already proven successful with their patrons.

“Right now at the Family Resource Centre we are really trying to help families who are in social isolation find ways to keep their kids entertained, engaged, and occupied in a healthy way.”

Dalton acknowledges that this Easter may be difficult for families used to meeting personally with one another, but she stresses that valuable memories can still be made.

Read more: Don't Let Easter Gatherings Cause A Spike Of COVID-19