Not only are we giving you simple and easy step-by-step instructions to follow, but we’re also here to show you that crafts don’t need to cost anything or waste materials. In fact, each of our six crafts can be done using things found around the house. So, without further ado, let’s get cracking!

Fun easter crafts for kids

1.     Create a DIY easter bunny headband

Are you all ears for this craft idea? Great – here’s what you’ll need and how to hop through the steps and create a DIY Easter bunny headband of your own!

What you’ll need:

• Recyclable paper (the more colourful, the better!)
• Scissors
• Glue
• Ruler
• Pencil
• Coloured markers/paints (optional)

Step 1: Take a ruler and mark a white piece of A4 paper 5cm from the top and bottom edges. Cut lengthways to create a long paper strip. Then, place this strip around your head and mark where it’ll need to be glued later to make sure the headband fits perfectly. Tip: Have a friend or parent help with this bit!

Step 2: Next, you’ll be creating the bunny ears.For each bunny ear, you’ll need to draw two lines that curve towards each other to form a point at the top and leave a straight edge at the bottom. Draw two large versions of this on the leftover white paper and two smaller ears on a sheet of pink paper. These will be the inner and outer sections of the ears. Carefully cut these out with your scissors.

Step 3: Apply glue to each pink ear and stick it to the larger white ear, making sure to keep the points at the top. Allow this to dry before adding a small strip of glue to the straight part at the bottom of the ears and sticking this to the headband strip so that the ears poke out at the top.

Step 4: Now it’s time to decorate your headband!For this part, you can get as creative as you’d like.Draw a pattern, paint on a few flowers, or use extra paper to create 3D bunny features – it’s totally up to you!

Step 5: When you’re happy with your decorations, the only thing left to do is glue your headband together, making sure to use the guidance mark created in step 1. Pop it on your head and wear it proudly!

2.     How to make an Easter basket

Who doesn’t love a budget and eco-friendly activity? Here, we’ll show you a simple and easy method for making this staple Easter craft with materials and tools you’re likely to already have at home.

What you’ll need:

• Recyclable paper
• Cardboard box
• Scissors
• Ruler
• Tissue paper
• Ribbon (optional)

Step 1: Take your cardboard box and carefully cut off the top half. Be sure to leave two strips measuring around 5cm in width on opposite sides of the box – these will later form the basket’s handle.

Step 2: Apply glue to both ends of the strips and stick these together to create a strong handle for the basket.

Step 3: Choose any coloured paper and begin sticking it to the outside of the box. It’s best to work with smaller sections of paper to make sure you cover the outside of the box well. Don’t forget to stick your colourful paper over the handle, too!

Step 4: Now it’s time to make the grass that will line the inside of your basket. To do this, carefully cut two pieces of green paper in half lengthways. Stack the four pieces of paper on top of each other and start cutting zig-zag patterns across one length of all four pieces of paper. Once you’ve done this, you can stick the pieces of paper to the inside edge of the basket, making sure the grass is poking over the top.

Step 5: Finish off by tying your ribbon in a bow on each side of the handle and adding some tissue paper inside. Your basket is now ready to hold whatever you want – whether it’s Easter eggs or your other Easter crafts!

3.     Use a sock to create a cute bunny

What’s the point in buying Easter decorations when you can just make your own? These DIY sock bunnies are a brilliant eco-friendly way to bring a touch of Easter magic to any home. Let’s hop to it!

What you’ll need:

• Old socks
• Uncooked rice (approx. 250 grams per bunny)
• Rubber bands
• A black marker pen
• Ribbon (optional)
• Scissors
• Ruler

Step 1: First, take an old sock and place it over a tall glass. This will make it much easier to pour in the rice, which can be done using a jug. Once the sock is filled with rice, remove it from the glass and tie a rubber band over the sock to stop any rice from leaking out.

Step 2: To make the head and body shape, tie another rubber band in the middle of the rice-filled section. The head should have slightly less rice than the body section. Use another rubber band to create a small, round tail coming off the bottom of the bunny’s body.

Step 3: Cut any extra sock material above the rubber band making sure to leave 3-5cm of material for the ears. If you’d prefer to have floppy ears, leave it slightly longer.  

Step 4: Then, cut the top portion down the middle. Taking a marker, draw a triangle shape with the point at the top on each of the pieces of material. You can then cut out the triangle shape to create the bunny ears.

Step 5: Finally, draw two dots for the eyes and an ‘x’ for the nose. This will bring your bunny to life! For an extra finishing touch, tie a piece of ribbon in a bow around the bunny’s neck.

Create sea creatures with household items

There’s no reason why your family arts and crafts should be limited to traditional things like bunnies and baskets. You can also get creative with household items and make some of your favourite sea creatures! Below are three of our craft suggestions if you’re looking to make something a little different this Easter.

1.     Paper plate sea creatures

Fancy learning how to transform a simple paper plate into sea creatures like sharks and jellyfish with the help of a few supplies found around the house? We’ve got the perfect step-by-step tutorial for you to follow below!

While you’re getting stuck into this craft, you could even take the opportunity to learn more about the fascinating sea creatures that exist in the world. We’ve chosen to make a paper plate shark and jellyfish, but you can always use this as a guide for other sea animals like turtles, fish or crabs. 

Here at Bristol Aquarium, we love sharing our knowledge of sea creatures. For example, did you know that all sharks have fixed fins, bendy bones, multiple unprotected gills and sharp skin made from thousands of tiny teeth? Well, now you do! Jellyfish are just as interesting, and if you’d like to learn more it’s worth checking out our list of 10 interesting jellyfish facts. One of our favourite jellyfish facts is that one species can reverse its ageing process, rightfully earning the name ‘the immortal jellyfish’!

If you’d like to come along and meet the sharks and the many other sea creatures at Bristol Aquarium, simply book your tickets online.

2.     Use pipe cleaners to make a starfish!

Pipe cleaners are great for crafts because they can be bent and twisted to create lots of different shapes. Ready to find out how you can turn these household cleaning tools into a cute starfish? Let’s get started!

What you’ll need:

• Pipe cleaners
• Paints
• Scissors
• Googley eyes

Step 1: Start by dipping your pipe cleaner in a paint colour of your choice. We recommend pink, but you can choose any colour. If you already have coloured pipe cleaners, you can skip this step.

Step 2: Bend a pipe cleaner in a zig-zag formation with 5 points. Join the two edges by twisting them together.

Step 3: Stick two small googley eyes next to each other on one side of the shape, and that’s it!

3.     Sea creature-themed egg

Painted eggs are a popular easter craft, but we’re here to put a twist on the tradition with our sea-creature-themed inspiration!

For this craft, all you’ll need is an egg (hard-boiled, of course), a few different coloured paints, paintbrushes and some glitter. If you’d like to make your sea creature 3D, you can also cut out pieces of paper and glue these on.

This craft can really let your individuality shine. Choose your favourite sea creature, whether it’s a shark or a sea turtle, and let your imagination run wild to bring it to life on your egg. Think of the egg as the head and the body of the sea creature and paint on the main features. For fish, this would be their colourful patterns, scales and fins. For a turtle, this would mean painting a shell.

If you held onto the egg box, you could even paint this to create an ocean scene. Start by painting it blue, and once this has dried, you can draw or paint small fish, coral, or seaweed to give your creations an ‘under the sea’ vibe when the eggs are back in the box.

We hope you enjoy some of our exciting Easter-themed arts and crafts suggestions. For more family fun, why not visit us at Bristol Aquarium? We have plenty of talks, feeds and events running throughout Easter alongside our extraordinary sea creature exhibits to keep all ages entertained! Book your tickets today, or visit our website to learn more.

The Most-Streamed Kids Movies in 2020

From Disney classics to new family favourites, hundreds, if not thousands, of kids’ films have streamed into our homes this year. But which movies proved the most popular? Find out below.

2009’s Up came out on top in our streaming popularity chart, proving that the heart-melting antics of Carl Fredericks and co continue to capture children’s imaginations. This modern Pixar classic received an average of 301,000 monthly searches in 2020, making it one of the most streamed feature films of the year.
Elsewhere on our list, Disney classics like Aladdin, The Lion King and Toy Story further proved that nostalgia sells, while Walt’s live-action remakes also got a look in, with Cinderella and Beauty and the Beast each earning a place in the top 20.
But 2020 wasn’t just dominated by Disney. Indeed, if our kids’ film picks show us anything, it’s that they have remarkably broad taste. From the timeless romp that is Macaulay Culkin’s Home Alone to Shrek, Sonic the Hedgehog, and High School Musical, youngsters binged on big-screen favourites from a huge range of genres – reflecting the quality and depth of kids’ entertainment in the present day.

The UK’s Favourite Kids Movies – Mapped!

OK, so we know which films kids watched in 2020, but where did they watch them? And were there any interesting regional differences in children’s streaming tastes around the UK? Take a look at our region-by-region map below to find out.

It seems that, in England at least, youngsters are big on Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson and Jack Black, with their film, Jumanji, proving the most-watched in seven local areas, including the South West, South East, Yorkshire, North East, North West, West Midlands and the East of England. Indeed, London and the East Midlands were the only English regions where this high-octane, big-budget remake didn’t come out on top.
Interestingly, things were a lot different in the devolved nations, with Shrek being the most-streamed kids flick in Scotland and Wales, and Sonic the Hedgehog blitzing to the top of the charts in Northern Ireland. We’re not sure why this is the case, but it does show that different regions around the UK are defined by more than just borders.

How Have Kids Movie Streaming Trends Changed Over Time?

Since streaming services hit the mainstream, hundreds of classic titles have beamed direct to people’s homes. But over the past three years, how have kids’ movie streaming trends changed?
Focusing on much-loved films of today, let’s see how their popularity has changed since 2017.

From the chart, you can see that among the most popular children’s movie streams, Up and The Lion King have proved consistently popular over the past three years. Jumanji, too, has seen just a small handful of peaks and troughs, in line with the release of Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle (2017) and Jumanji: The Next Level (2019).
One of the most interesting success stories highlighted by our chart is the streaming success of Shrek, a film which, despite being released in 2001, continues to attract a growing amount of interest each year. The same is true of 1995’s Toy Story, an iconic tale of friendship and loyalty viewed by many as one of the best animated films ever made.
So, there you have it, an in-depth look at some of the most popular kids’ films streamed into our homes in 2020. For more of the latest news and features from Bristol Aquarium, check out our blog.

– Day Tickets

Purchase day tickets online and they’re valid any one day within 6months from purchase. No need to select a date to visit. A great, hassle free, Christmas gift!
Purchase tickets online here: https://online1.venpos.net/site/ShowPage.aspx?LID=309&PID=5f4f65e1-cb14-446a-bb71-4346a31cd1da 
Take note of the unique booking reference starting BRI-COL
Simply write this booking reference into a Christmas card or download and complete our gift certificate online here: https://www.bristolaquarium.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/Gift-Certificate-Colour-Version.pdf
That’s it! – All we need is the unique booking reference to redeem the tickets on arrival to the aquarium.

– Annual Membership

Buy a membership once and visit as many times as you like within 12months! A thoughtful gift for a young family – give them the gift of memories they’ll treasure for a lifetime.
You can either purchase the memberships online and get your membership via email or call our friendly team who will do everything over the telephone with you and post the membership out.
Purchase a membership online here: https://online1.venpos.net/site/ShowPage.aspx?LID=309&PID=2261c6d3-a6ee-431e-929c-3b7e0701cf47
Call our friendly team to purchase a membership over the phone on: 0117 929 8929

– Ocean inspired gifts

Our Bristol Aquarium gift shop is open daily from 10am to both aquarium visitors, and the general public. Peruse our aisles of plastic or wooden toys, cuddly ocean friends, accessories and stationary. There is something for every child – big or small!
Bristol Aquarium, Anchor Road, Bristol BS1 5TT

Head of the Zoological Team at Bristol Aquarium and Marine Biologist Olivia Orchart said: “We are an incredibly passionate team who are very proud of what we do. I love my job, my team and the animals we have here to care for.
Olivia continued to share a few words of advice for young women in STEM industries, “if you have a passion, enjoy learning and are not afraid of hard work you have the opportunity to succeed. Never stop learning, get yourself out there and make sure you volunteer to get that valuable experience!”
Bristol Aquarium are celebrating National Science Week throughout the month of March. There are a variety of talks, feeds and hands on science activities every weekend this month. If you’ve ever wondered why sea water is salty, what a fish’s scales look like under a microscope or why there’s no such thing as a scientific definition of what a fish is then the ‘Fascinating Fish’ weekends are for you.
For more information about Fascinating Fish please click here or call the Aquarium on 0117 929 8929.

Open everyday (except Christmas Day) from 10am. Shop and café open to all. If you come along to the Aquarium, remember kids under 3 go FREE.
For full details please or to purchase gifts please call 0117 929 8929.