Chocolate bunnies, jelly beans and caramel eggs -- it's little wonder why Easter is the biggest chocolate and candy holiday outside of Hallowe'en.

For many children, the annual holiday celebrating Christ rising from the dead has become a weekend-long sugar binge, leaving many parents to wonder which came first, the marshmallow chicken or the chocolate egg.

Those parents searching for ways to fill their children's Easter baskets with something other than candy can rest easy -- there are plenty of other possibilities.

"There are alternatives to candy out there,'' said Jackie Rodill at Toys and Stuff on Church Street.

She said parents could come-up with wonderful Easter surprises without using candy or chocolates -- it just requires a bit of thought and imagination.

"Go for a theme, like Elmo, Barbie or Pokemon,'' she explained. "For infants, tub toys and stuffed animals are great.'' "For toddlers, fill plastic Easter eggs with raisins or cereal like Cherios.

That way they are still getting Easter eggs, but they aren't filled with candy.'' For older children, Mrs. Rodill suggested parents check out their children's toy boxes before selecting items for their Easter basket.

"Think about getting accessories for the toys they already have -- after all its only Easter, not Christmas.'' For little girls, she recommended filling baskets with doll clothes, coloured markers and beads they could use to make pretty necklaces.

And she said that dump trucks, frisbees, bucket and shovel sets, toy boats and Match Box cars were all great Easter basket fillers for little boys.

"There's lots of choices out there, you just have to stop and think about what they have, then you can get something to complement it and their interests.'' Parents can even turn the traditional Easter egg hunt into a treat for the mind instead of one for a child's sweet tooth by sending them on a treasure hunt which boosts a youngster's reading and critical thinking skills.

Give your children their first clue and hide the remaining clues in colourful plastic eggs. To keep things fair and avoid arguments, colour code the plastic eggs for each of your children, that way each child will only find their own Easter treasure.

Another way to divert attention away from candy is to keep youngsters busy with fun Easter games and crafts. Here are a few suggestions: Egg Roll: Mark off a start and stop point anywhere from five to ten feet apart. Using a decorated hard boiled egg, have the children roll the egg across the floor, while down on hands and knees, using only their noses. The first one to the finish line without touching the egg with their hands wins; Easter Parade: Give every one a white paper plate and materials, like ribbon, coloured fabric, construction paper, markers and glue, so they can decorate the plates. After they are done, tie the plates /hats on top of the children's heads and let them parade around showing off their Easter hats; Bunny Bags: Take a brown paper lunch bag and cut a `V' out of the top. Cut bunny ears out of construction paper and glue them to the top of the bag. Draw whiskers and eyes on the bag and then attach a strip of paper across the top of the bag to create a handle. Instead of carrying an Easter basket around, children can carry a homemade bag; and Bunny Ears: Cut out bunny ears from white and pink paper. For a chocolate bunny use two tones of brown paper.