~Dying Easter 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 is some dye variations your child can experiment with.
Variations
•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 and remove 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.
*********
Lady PP's web site "Lady PP's Heart of the Home" at https://www.angelfire.com/rings/ladypp/index.html is for busy moms. It is full of helpful information and links to other resources.
*********
© Lady PP's Heart of the Home
2004
