Step outside of the box with these Easter basket ideas.

From eco-friendly baskets to baskets loaded with non-edibles, there are plenty of ideas to help celebrate Easter with family and friends. So, step outside of tradition and try these different Easter basket ideas.

The gift of green. Not much about Easter is eco-friendly, is it? The traditional Easter basket is a paradise of plastic. Plastic eggs, plastic grass – not to mention all the artificial flavors and colors packed into all that candy.

If you and your family are green-conscious, here are a few smart (and green) Easter basket ideas.

Recycle an old basket. You’ve undoubtedly received more than your fair share of baskets over the years. Dig around in the attic or the basement and you will surely find a basket or two in good shape.

You can shred some old paper to use as grass for the basket. Or, buy some paper grass (some of this will contain dyes, though, so if you really want to help save the planet, make your own using natural white paper).

Fill your green basket with eco-friendly items like gardening tools and seed kits, books, fair-trade or organic chocolates, or other natural Easter basket ideas. As for your Easter eggs, buy them at your local farmers market. Use natural ingredients to make your Easter egg dye. Want blue? Boil some blueberries and red cabbage, let it cool and then dip away.
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Skip the sugar. For kids, Easter has become synonymous with candy. Chocolate bunnies, marshmallow Peeps, jellybeans, gummi everything and peanut butter eggs. Give your kids a healthy basket this Easter.  Healthy does not have to disappoint them, either. If you fill the basket with fun, creative items the kids will forget all about the candy.

Kids love to dig in the dirt. Give them a garden starter kit, or better yet, a kit that helps them grow their own strawberries. If your child loves to read, what could be better than a basket full of books? If you have a little chef on your hands, give him or her a baking set or some other item for the kitchen. The options are limitless. Customize your Easter basket ideas to fit your child’s interests and he or she will be more than thrilled.

Love thy neighbor. Easter is a time of giving to those you care about, including your neighbors. Have the kids take over a basket filled with coffee, tea, homemade bread or jelly, cheese and crackers, or even a bottle of wine.

Get well soon. Maybe you have a friend or family member who is under the weather this Easter season. Why not cheer him or her up with a custom basket filled with thoughtful necessities like tissues, cough drops, magazines and herbal tea? If you want to take Easter baskets to the hospital for kids, fill them with stuffed animals, stickers, temporary tattoos, chocolate and coloring books.