4 Fun Easter Activities with CONNETIX

By Kathleen Prinsen

Feeling EGG-cited for Easter? Hot cross buns, colourful eggs and chocolate treats are already filling the shelves – Easter is almost here! It’s the perfect time to unleash your creativity and have some CONNETIX Easter fun! Whether it’s creating Easter bunnies, vibrant eggs, a hat parade or chirpy chickens, CONNETIX has endless possibilities for everyone to explore. Hop into Easter with these exciting, hands-on activities that will have everyone building, imagining and celebrating together!

1. Sticky Beak

Are you up for a fun challenge? This game will have everyone giggling and testing their spacial awareness skills. The goal? Place the beak (an orange triangle tile) on the yellow chick right where its beak should be, all while wearing a blindfold! The player who gets closest to the correct spot wins! Want to crank up the challenge? Give the player a spin (or two!) before they make their move, and add a ticking clock – just one or two seconds to place the tile.

Building this cute chick is super quick and easy! Here’s what you’ll need:

Tiles needed:

7 x Yellow square tiles
6 x Clear square tiles
2 x Yellow quarter circles tiles (from the CONNETIX shapes expansion pack)
2 x Clear quarter circle tiles (from the CONNETIX shapes expansion pack)
3 x Yellow equilateral triangles
4 x Clear equilateral triangles
1 x Orange equilateral triangle
2 x Yellow right-angled triangles
Magnetic whiteboard
Chalk marker (or similar) to draw cute little eyes

Ready, set, go! – Let’s see who can get their beak the closest!

2. Easter Hat

Create an Easter hat that’ll steal the spotlight at any Easter Hat Parade. Start by creating your hat shape using CONNETIX, then let your imagination run wild with decorations. This hat was made on a whiteboard and jazzed up using old necklaces I hadn’t used for years, plus some sparkly play gems. The necklaces attached to the magnetic tiles on their own, while the play gems required some blue tack to hold them in place. Get creative with your decorations – experiment with natural items, metal objects or other crafty supplies you have lying around at home. While making a wearable hat might be tricky (but hey, if you’re feeling bold, why not?), you can definitely build an eye-catching 3D hat that’ll wow everyone. Why stop at one? Make a whole collection and throw your very own Easter hat parade!

3. Bunny Ball Run

Transform your play area into an Easter wonderland by building an adorable bunny using clear magnetic tiles. Not only does this beautiful creation brighten up the space, but it also doubles as an engaging activity. By incorporating strategically placed ball run pieces, you can enhance the bunny’s stability, ensuring it stands tall and proud. Watch the balls roll down the run and land softly in a CONNETIX-constructed compartment at the end, thanks to using a play silk that cushions their descent and prevents any bouncy escapes. This setup combines creativity, engineering and loads of fun, making it a perfect addition to your Easter playtime.

4. EGG-citing board game

Get ready for an EGG-citing adventure with this thrilling board game inspired by the classic Mouse Trap! Instead of getting cheese, you’ll be collecting eggs as you move around the board. The first player to gather four eggs wins the game! While there are no mice to trap, the suspense builds as you watch the ball roll down the track, eagerly anticipating whether it will land on the ‘rotten egg’ or the ‘good egg’.

The recommended number of players for this game is 2-4 (more players can make the game last longer) and the aim of the game is to be the first player to collect four eggs.

Setting Up the Game:

Create the Base: Arrange 4 baseplates to form a square on the floor.
Add the Border: Place coloured square tiles around the edges of the clear square base.
Make the ball run: Set up the ball run in the centre, lining it up with the magnets on the baseplates for stability. Make a chicken at the top of the ball run, so it looks like the chicken is laying an egg.

Tips:

- Use CONNETIX rectangles for added stability.
- Ensure the ball run ends with a Y-shaped split tube.
- Incorporate a bowl piece in the ball run to slow the ball’s descent, adding to the suspense.

Mark the Starting Point: In the bottom right corner, write ‘Start’ with a chalk marker (or similar) and an arrow pointing left.
Assign Actions to Tiles: Randomly label the coloured tiles around the clear square with ‘Steal’, ‘Eat’ or ‘Egg’. Ensure there are more ‘Egg’ tiles than the others, and leave a few tiles blank.
Designate the Egg Tiles:
- Draw a ‘rotten egg’ on a green tile and place in front of one end of the Y-shaped split tube.
- Draw a ‘good egg’ on a yellow tile and place it in front of the other end of the Y-shaped split tube.

Tip: Stand the ‘good egg’ and the ‘rotten egg’ tiles upright in the centre of the clear square in front of the tube’s end. The ball struggles to knock over the tiles if they are placed directly on the edge of the clear square where there are more magnets.

7. Prepare the Egg Storage: Create a bowl or box using CONNETIX to store the eggs, and place it on the clear baseplates. You can use wooden, plastic or chocolate eggs, or any other small items that can represent eggs for the game.

8. Choose Player Tokens: Select pieces to represent each player. Options include Duplo figures, wooden peg people, bunny figurines, or any small item that fits well on a single square CONNETIX.

9. Gather a Die: You’ll need a die to determine movement.

10. Playing: Once everything is set up, you’re ready to begin the game!

How to Play:

Starting Eggs: Each player begins with one egg. A 4×1 CONNETIX rectangle can be used to keep track of the number of eggs each player has.
Starting Position: All players start on the tile labelled ‘Start’.
Taking Turns: Players take turns rolling the die and moving their token clockwise the number of tiles rolled.
Landing on Tiles: If you land on a tile with an action, perform the action before the next player’s turn.
- Blank tile: No action.
- Steal: Take an egg from another player.
- Eat: Consume one of your eggs (if it’s edible) or return it to the egg storage.
- Egg: Release a ball down the ball run.
  - If the ball knocks over the ‘good egg’ tile, you get to take an egg from the storage and add it to your collection.
  - If the ball knocks over the ‘rotten egg’ tile, you don’t receive an egg.

Enjoy the game and may the best egg collector win!

Have these ideas left you feeling EGG-static and inspired for your next CONNETIX creation? Well, what are you waiting for? Hop to it! Even if you don’t have the exact tile shapes or colours, you can often find alternatives to achieve similar results. And who knows? Perhaps the Easter Bunny will surprise you with a set of CONNETIX this Easter, giving you even more options for fun and imaginative play! Wishing you an EGG-cellent Easter filled with magical creations and endless fun.

Kathleen Prinsen

Katie is a pharmacist who found a passion for play when she became a mum of 2 boys. She enjoys inspiring creativity and learning through play. Katie especially loves experimenting and creating with CONNETIX. You can find more of her play ideas on her Instagram account @dudekidz.

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