10 candy-free Easter baskets kids will love

Susie Peyton, an art teacher in Redwood City, Calif., has always tried to minimize the candy in holiday traditions with her three kids, now ages 11 and 15.

"I'm the awful mom who goes through their Halloween basket and throws out all their hard candy," said Peyton. "They have a big sweet tooth, and they would eat candy for breakfast if they could."

Easter, with its expectation of chocolate eggs and marshmallow peeps, presents unique challenges for mothers like Peyton. Store aisles are bulging with Easter-themed chocolate and confectionary.

But there are plenty of other options, as inventive mothers like Peyton have found out over the years. Here are 10 themes for candy-free Easter baskets kids will love.

—Gardening basket. Gardening is at least as much as symbol of Easter as a foil-wrapped rabbit, and a row of carrot tops pushing through the soil is something kids will remember long after the last jelly bean is gone. Instead of using a basket, try a small rubber gardening tub, a plastic watering can, or a bucket organizer — $25 at Gardeners Supply catalogue, http://www.gardeners.com . Add colorful seed packets, a pair of gardening gloves and a few intriguing gardening tools.

—Sleepover basket. Cradle a pair of slippers, some new pajamas, and a couple of silly joke books or bottles of nail polish in a small, sturdy overnight bag. Add a plain pillowcase and some fabric markers so the child can decorate it. Then add a nightlight. There's a good selection of affordable ones in themes from Las Vegas to T-Rex at Lamps Plus, http://bit.ly/dUHibY .

—Bird lover's basket. Birds are another sure-fire sign of spring. You can use the birdfeeder as the basket; many of them have lift-off roofs that provide an original nest for a bird-friendly collection including birdseed, some seed-covered suet bells, and a pair of inexpensive binoculars or a stuffed owl. The National Audubon Society has a free brochure called "Bird Feeding Basics," downloadable from its web site: http://bit.ly/fpqIih .

—Art basket. Peyton used to start with an inexpensive plastic beach bucket from the dollar store. Add a sketchbook, gel pens, and fancy-edged scissors. Scrapbooking stores carry a fantastic array of rubber stamps or places like Stampadoodle Art & Paper, in Bellingham, Wash., will custom-make any stamp you want. http://www.stampadoodle.com/ .