Each spring, in the weeks leading up to Easter, families from the English Speaking Families Biel/Bienne (ESFBB) gather for one of the most anticipated events of the year: the annual Easter celebration at the Biel Zoo. As members of this welcoming community, we always look forward to this tradition—a chance for children to play, explore, and celebrate together, and for parents to reconnect after the winter months.
Set against the relaxed, natural backdrop of the zoo, the event offers more than just an Easter bag hunt. It is a few hours of laughter, conversation, and shared experiences, where familiar faces meet new ones and friendships continue to grow. Children arrive with excitement, eager to begin the hunt, while parents enjoy the simple pleasure of watching them take part in a tradition that has become a highlight of the ESFBB calendar.
At the heart of the event is the much-anticipated Easter bag hunt.
The Easter bags have the kids’ names written on them and are hidden along a walking trail within the zoo. This year, they were color-coordinated. Bags with blue name tags were for the youngest members and were hidden in plain sight. Bags with yellow name tags were for slightly older kids and were hidden a bit more carefully. Bags with red name tags were for the oldest kids (aged 7 to 12) and were hidden well to give them more of a challenge. Those bags were hidden quite well—we had to go around the trail twice to find Rebecca and Sarah’s goodie bags!
Afterwards, there were some extra activities for the older kids to earn more chocolate eggs and to keep them engaged, as there have traditionally been more younger children, mainly toddlers. They were given eight pages of Easter-themed puzzles to complete: spotting differences between drawings, deciphering coded words, counting Easter objects, navigating mazes, and solving math problems. Rebecca finished her stack quite quickly and without much help, while I helped Sarah a bit with the math section. When they were done, they proudly brought their completed pages to Rita, our organizer, who checked their answers and rewarded them with a small bag of chocolate eggs.
As always, food plays an important role in community building. Families brought snacks to share, and a buffet table was set up. Everyone gathered around, deciding which of the many scrumptious treats to try. I brought chocolate chip cookies—small ones, so as not to overwhelm everyone, especially since there is always so much food. They were easy to share, well received, and perfect for a gathering like this. For those who would like to try them at home, here is the recipe:
MINI CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES
Ingredients:
1½ cups (180 g) all-purpose flour
1 tsp (3 g) cornstarch
Heaping ¼ tsp baking soda
½ tsp fine sea salt
½ cup (113 g) butter, room temperature
½ cup (100 g) brown sugar
¼ cup (50 g) granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
⅔ cup (115 g) mini chocolate chips or chopped chocolate bar
Instructions:
1. Preheat the oven to 375°F / 180°C. Line two baking pans with silicone liners or baking paper. Set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
3. In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Add the egg and mix well, then beat in the vanilla.
4. Slowly add the flour mixture until just combined, being careful not to overmix. Fold in the chocolate chips using a rubber spatula.
5. Using two teaspoons, drop spoonfuls of dough onto the baking pans (about 25 per pan), spacing them 1 inch apart to allow for spreading. Bake for 8 to 9 minutes, or until golden brown. They may look slightly underbaked but will continue to cook on the pan after removal from the oven.
6. Cool on the baking pans for a few minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container.
Note: These can be prepared in advance up to the dough stage. Portion out the balls onto a baking sheet then refrigerate or freeze, then bake from frozen, adding about two extra minutes to the baking time. Events like these remind us how meaningful it is to come together as a community and create lasting memories for our children.*
