Decorating Easter eggs is a fun and creative family project. The first step is to either hard-boil the eggs or
blow-out the eggs. Blown eggs are created by inserting a needle into one end of the egg and piercing the egg yolk sack. At the opposite end of the egg pierce another hole with the needle. Blow through one of the holes over a bowl. Children are good egg blowers. Once the content of the egg has been removed, the egg will need
to be washed to remove traces of egg yolk and membrane. Let dry.
Dying Eggs
You can use any packaged Easter egg dye kit or food-dye. Instructions for mixing the dye are on the package. In addition to the dye you will need a plastic sheet or lots of newspapers to protect the table, several Styrofoam cups for mixing the dye in and dunking the eggs-one for each color, a wand or spoons for retrieving the eggs out of the cup, and a egg cartoon or egg stand to set the eggs in while they are drying. If you are using food dye, you will need white vinegar.
Older kids will soon grow bored with dunking eggs and start experimenting with different ways to use the dye. Mixing colors can be fun and educational but usually becomes overdone and results in unusual browns and greens. Below are some dye variations your child can experiment with.
Marbleized eggs. Add 1 tablespoon of cooking oil to the cup and swirl before dropping eggs into the dye. This should be done towards the end as it is not reversible and all your eggs will end
up marbleized.
Wrap with rubber bands in different widths. The outcome is not always perfect, but makes an interesting pattern. You can dye the egg before applying the rubber bands to create
a two-tone effect or re-dye the egg afterwards.
Write messages or draw pictures on the egg with crayon before dying. If you don't want the crayon to show afterwards, an adult will have to carefully melt it off. Don't allow the wax to drip and blot the loosen wax frequently.
Apply gum stars or hole reinforcers to the egg before dying. Remove the stickers after dying. Again you can dye the egg before applying the stickers or re-dye afterwards.
OR use paper punches to punch out stickers from adhesive name tags. You can find rabbit, flowers, suns, eggs, and tulip paper punches in the craft section of stores. Follow the instructions for gum stars above.
Wrap egg in cheesecloth or a piece of nylon hose before placing in the dye. The egg will need to remain in the dye for awhile in order for this to work.
"Stick" leaves, small petals or blades of grass to the egg using cooking oil before wrapping with the nylon or cheesecloth. Results are iffy. Or use the petals and leaves from small silk flowers with the hard center removed.
Glue the silk petals and leaves to the egg using a paper glue stick. You don't need to wrap these eggs before dying. Peel off the petals after dying.
Splattered eggs: Best done in a card board box or outside. Dunk an old toothbrush into the dye. Hold the toothbrush 6" to 12" from the egg and rub your finger or a toothpick along the bristles. This will splatter the dye
onto the egg and everywhere else. You will need to protect furniture, clothes and perhaps hair. If done in blues, the egg will resemble a Robin egg.
Sponge painting: Dunk a coarse textured sponge into the dye and dab onto the egg. You will need a strong concentration of dye for this to work. This procedure is also very messy.
Dying with Tissue Paper
This procedure is very messy as the dyes start running immediately when wetted. You will need to protect tables and clothes. Also, I am not sure if you should eat eggs decorated this way and advise you use this method on blown-eggs only.
Rip a variety of different colored tissue or crepe paper into triangle, square and rectangle shapes. You will get better results if you rip rather than cut the shapes. Sprits one piece of the paper with a fine mist of water and lay on the egg. Repeat wetting one piece of paper at a time and placing on the egg until the whole egg is covered. Let the egg dry before removing the paper.
The eggs will usually have a pretty stained-glass effect. Or you can soak the tissue or crepe paper in hot water in individual cups. Dunk your egg into the dye.
Painting Eggs
You can also paint your eggs. Either Poster or Acrylic paint will work. If you paint your eggs, please use blown eggs
as they cannot be eaten.
Faces are an easy paint project for children. They can paint faces of rabbits, ducks, chicks, man, woman, clowns, etc. The child can use either a paint brush or a cotton swab to apply the paint For the egg holder cut off an egg carton cup and trim it down half-way. This cup will be the body of the egg face. Decorate the painted eggs with sequins (make nice eyes), cotton balls, lace, net, fake fur, thin ribbon, small feathers, braid, construction paper or
poster board cut-outs, pipe cleaners, yarn and small silk flowers. A hat can be created by cutting the very end off an egg carton cup.
Painted eggs are cute decorations for an Easter tree or the table.
Jeweled Eggs
This procedure works best on blown-eggs with thick shells. The child dyes or paints the egg a deep rich color then glues sequins, braids, small jewels and beads to the egg.
Decorating Easter Eggs
Dying Eggs
Marbleized eggs. Add 1 tablespoon of cooking oil to the cup and swirl before dropping eggs into the dye. This should be done towards the end as it is not reversible and all your eggs will end
up marbleized.
Rip a variety of different colored tissue or crepe paper into triangle, square and rectangle shapes. You will get better results if you rip rather than cut the shapes.
