On The Fly

In this episode – Cracking the Case of the Easter Egg Hunt! . . . Hey there, young explorers! Have you ever wondered why we hide Easter eggs and then race around to find them? Today, On the Fly, we're going on an “egg-cellent” adventure to discover where this fun tradition hatched! But first, as children, remember the lyrics to the song–“ Here comes Peter Cottontail , hopping down the bunny trail. Hippity hoppity, Easters on its way.” Click the link to enjoy a segment of the Rankin/Bass animated TV special narrated by Danny Kaye. The Easter egg hunt has a long and fascinating history, much like the Easter Bunny himself! Historians believe it started in two different places, both with springtime celebrations. Let’s look at the Pagan Origins. Way back when, people celebrated spring with festivals honoring new beginnings and fertility. Eggs symbolize life because chicks hatch from them as new plants sprout in spring. Some people believe these celebrations involved hiding eggs as part ...

In this special Easter episode, the Jelly Bean . . . Today many youngsters and the young at heart will scour their yards for Easter eggs and Jellybeans left by the Easter Bunny. Have you ever wondered just what it takes to make a jelly bean? An interesting fact from one of my morning newsfeeds, the Interesting Facts Newsletter , described by industry giant Jelly Belly explains. The process begins by heating a sugar, cornstarch, corn syrup, and water mixture, known as a slurry, and adding fruit purée, juice concentrate, and other ingredients for flavoring. From there, the mixture is squirted into cornstarch-coated molding trays and left to solidify into the chewy jellybean centers. The following day, the bean centers are sent through a steam bath and a sugar shower to keep them from sticking. They are then loaded into a spinning machine for a process known as "panning," in which sugar and syrup are manually applied over two hours to build each bean's candied shell. Follow...

In this episode, "Easter Traditions'" . . .   Will you join the children in scouring their yards on Easter Sunday for plastic eggs and filling baskets with chocolate bunnies? Have you ever wondered why we do such strange things? According to an article in the online newsletter Mental Floss by Stacey Conradt, Pagan rituals and old superstitions mostly. Here are some of the reasons behind a few of our Easter traditions. 1. Dyeing Easter Eggs The tradition of decorating eggs may go back to the ancient pagans. It's easy to see why eggs represent rebirth and life, so associating them with spring and new growth isn't much stretch. To celebrate the new season, it's said that people colored eggs and gave them to friends and family as gifts.   When Christians came along, they likely incorporated the tradition into their celebrations. According to some legends, Mary Magdalene could be responsible for our annual trek to the store to buy dye kits. As the story goes, Mary ...