Hopping Down the Bunny Trail : Off to the races

While we all know of a certain fabled rabbit who famously lost his race against his rival the tortoise, we thought this holiday we'd give bunnies their due and host a race all their own. 

With a fleet of wind-ups at the ready (on sale for 88 cents), you can cheer on your favorite furry friend as they cross the finish line. If tiny tikes will be part of your spring festivities this easy DIY activity makes a fun addition to the ubiquitous egg hunts and sugar binges. For adults, add springtime cocktails and friendly wagers.

I used

Wind-up Bunnies 
(my dollar store and supermarket had lots of these)

Printable with names and finish line banner copied to desired size
skinny ribbon
tiny party favor trophies 

Egg topped floral picks or wooden skewers 

Flower foam ring (cut in two- a serrated bread knife works well)

a stretch of faux grass (by the foot at home improvement stores)
or green paper or felt taped together

Faux flowers, eggs or other spring accents

 Bunnies are easily identified when sporting their names

Simply cut out name icons and tape to strip of ribbon. Wrap around bunnies'  tummies and tape to fit securely on other side. 

The paper names can be trimmed to size to make sure they don't interfere with the winding mechanism or bunnies' movement.

Attach paper Finish Line banner to ribbon and tie or tape to wooden skewers or floral picks.Decorate foam with flowers.

Roll out faux grass or roll of green paper and set up finish line

Set Bunnies at the starting gate 

And Hoppy wins by a tail

   

 The closing ceremonies

 Mini jelly bean filled trophies for the champs

Please note, with aims of their own these little ones can hop off track, make a simple rule that when they run out steam they can be rewound and gently redirected.

Wind up bunnies: center: tin bunny from Liveauctioneer.com left and right Bunny with rider and carriage, both German c1910, ebay 

Before iPads and x boxes these were the tech toys of the day

Not just for Easter: for other times of the year or for those who don't celebrate the holiday, simply change the decor and wind up characters to suit your theme. This would be fun for a child's barnyard themed birthday as well.

A Happy Easter
and
Delightful Spring!