You don't have to be Catholic to appreciate this time of rebirth. It's spring, and the world is slowly shaking off the melting snow; the earth is learning to breathe again.

There are some really traditional crafts you can do during the Easter season.

Easter Eggs
Have you ever wondered why eggs were a symbol of Easter? Well, the word 'easter' derives from 'oestar', or the goddess of spring and renewal. Since the Ancient Egyptians, eggs have become a symbol of rebirth and the process of renewal. Hence, Easter eggs.

Colorful Eggs
You'll need about one or two dozen eggs, depending on how many you'd like to hang on the trees in your yard or on plants in your house. Keep in many that eggs can easily break, so you might want a few more than you plan to make. If you're worried about clumsiness, then maybe use hardboiled eggs cooled in the fridge.

To blow out eggs, simply use a needle to make two small holes at either end of the raw egg. Than blow through one hole and the liquid raw egg will slowly drip out. Be gentle!

Now mix about 20 drops of food coloring with one tablespoon vinegar and half a cup of hot water. Before soaking your eggs in the dye, let the water cool to room temperature. Dip eggs in the dye; the longer they remain in the mixture, the darker they will be. Feel free to experiment with what you like the best! Also, for a tie-dye effect, tie rubber bands around the egg (difficult with the blown out eggs) and then dip in the dye mixture. Or, using light colored crayons, write your name or draw shapes in the eggs; this will prevent the dye from coloring those areas, resulting in fun patterns!

Dry your eggs carefully on a clean surface and make sure they don't roll around. Then use some pretty, decorative string to hang them up on your trees!

Alright, so it's not exactly a major holiday, but maybe it should be. It definitely presents a great activity for your kids! Most schools engage in tree planting and environmental awareness on earth day, but you can do your part at home too!

Every family needs an avid gardener, so why not see if your child has a green thumb? There is one fairly easy plant to grow that gets kids really excited-the noble avocado! And the added bonus is that it's sometimes a lesson in persistence and determination!

Avocado Tree
Simply scoop out the pit of a ripe avocado and gently wash it in tepid water. If you want, have your kids gently scrape the surface of the pit using a toothpick to write their names or draw designs. Within a few minutes, the 'bruised' surface will darken where you've drawn designs. Then stick three or four toothpicks in the avocado-about a third of the way from the widest end.

Now place the pit on the rim of the glass; the glass should be narrow enough so that the toothpicks rest comfortably on the rim. Place in a well-lit window; however, don't leave it too long in direct sunlight.

It could take a few weeks or even a few months, but you'll notice that the pit cracks apart and roots will slowly emerge. Once you have a few inches of rooting, have your child gently plant the pit in soil (with just the top of the pit sticking out). Decorate the pot with fun stickers or drawings. Keep moist, never soggy, never dry.

The plant will grow beautiful, lush leaves. Trim the top of the plant once it grows to 12 inches. Keep indoors all year round or even keep it outside if you live in warmer climates! Happy Earth Day!

Every child must know the events behind Thanksgiving; schools make a point of teaching the history and plight of the pilgrims and the aid Native Americans bestowed on us. It's also about the season of bounty and beauty; leaves are turning gorgeous colors and gourds are plumping with sweet pulp.

Bring in the beauty of the outdoors into your home. There are two very easy ways to preserve leaves from outside.

Preserved Leaves
Put colorful leaves between two sheets of wax paper, cover with a soft towel and help your child press a hot iron on the towel. The wax paper will melt together; cut around the edges of the leaves, leaving a small margin of wax paper. You can tack these up on kid's bulletin boards or on windows.

Another way to preserve fall leaves is to make a mixture of one part glycerin, two parts warm water. Soak the leaves in the mixture for three to four days. You'll need to weigh the leaves down so they stay enveloped with the mixture. When you take the leaves out, they will be soft and pliable and stay so for the years to come. Let dry for about 10 days. Then put them wherever your walls need some color! Kids love a leaf tree on their bedroom walls!

The Christmas holiday season is probably the most celebrated holiday; kids get two weeks off from school, families go on vacations and it's a time of gift-giving and merry-making. Gift-giving is a part of celebrating this holiday as it mimics the three wise men bringing gifts to baby Jesus.

Why not make some fun little crafts that you can put in gift boxes for friends and family?

Button Magnets
One very simple craft is to gather together old buttons and glue them to small magnets. It may be best to use a hot glue gun, in which case you need to either do the gluing or supervise very closely. If you don't have any buttons lying around, visit a flea market and buy a whole bunch. Picking fun holiday colors like red, green, gold and silver make the perfect button magnets! Put them along in packages with other small gifts.

Jingle Bell Wreath
The sound of jingle bells is sure to recall wintry sleigh rides for anyone. It's very easy to make a jingle bell wreath to either decorate your home or make a wonderful gift for family or friends. Simply buy some strong wire from the local hardware store and shape into the size circle you want. Buy about 50-80 jingle bells per wreath. Slip the jingle bells onto the wire. When finished, make a loop on one end of the wire and thread the other end through the loop. Then snugly wrap it around the loop.

Happy Holidays
Whatever the festival, make it memorable for your child with fun activities and crafts. This takes the focus off of commercialization and puts the wonder back into the holidays.