OCEANSIDE — There is lot of egg hunting going on this spring with library egg hunts on April 11 and April 15, and four city egg hunts to follow.
The first egg hunt was held at the Mission Branch Library.
Toddlers and preschool-age tots listened to stories read by the Easter Bunny, and made a woven paper basket before they searched for eggs hidden in the bookshelves.
“For the littlest ones its colorful and exciting,” librarian Liz Aaron said. “They know its some sort of party. The older ones anticipate it and know they’re looking for eggs.”
The egg hunt took place in the children’s area of the library, which has recently undergone renovation. Lower kid-friendly bookshelves have been installed, and an area is set up with play stations designed to stimulate the imagination and practice in eye-hand coordination.
“They’re wonderful toys for pre-literacy skills,” Aaron said.
Another egg hunt was held at the Civic Center Library on April 15, for kids age 7 and younger.
Both egg hunts compliment the weekly story time programs that are held for infants, toddlers and preschoolers.
Additional city egg hunts are planned for April 19.
Neighborhood egg hunts will be held at Joe Balderrama Park at 9:30 a.m., and Fireside Park and Libby Lake Park at 10:30 a.m. These egg hunts draw kids from the immediate neighborhood.
The Joe Balderrama Park egg hunt will feature gold prize eggs, and a spring carnival after the hunt.
The Fireside Park and Libby Lake Park egg hunts will hold raffle drawings for prize baskets following the hunt.
The largest egg hunt is planned at Buddy Todd Park at 10 a.m. It is geared for kids ages 1- to 12-years-old.
Age group egg hunt areas will be marked off in quadrants of the park lawn.
A blast of the fire engine horn will signal start of the hunt.
Hidden in each egg hunt area are gold eggs that can be redeemed for prizes.
The annual fun is expected to be fast paced.
“It’s all over in 10 minutes,” Eileen Turk, parks and recreation division manager, said. “They run and scoop eggs.”
The Easter Bunny will be at Buddy Todd Park to greet kids, and after the hunt there will be a magic show.
It is highly recommended to arrive early to the egg hunts.
