Frugal Easter Fun Part One

So, Easter is tomorrow and you forgot to pick up stuff to dye eggs with. Here are a couple of easy and household friendly things you can do in a jiffy.

First up, dye your eggs with food color. No vinegar? No worries. Turn the egg dying experience into a science experiment with food color, water and salt.

What you need:
*hardboiled eggs
*foodcolor
*small bowls or containers for water and color
*a spoon for each bowl
*empty egg carton for draining
*paper towels, old t-shirt or rag for clean up or a splat mat
*salt (lots of it!)
*birthday candles (optional)

scrumdilly-do it!

Set out your bowls and a measuring cup of warm water. Have your wee ones pour water into each bowl or container using the measuring cup to measure out 1/4 cup increments or fill up the measuring cup to 1/4 cup and have your wee one pour it into the next container. This is just a fun activity to do to acclimate your kidlets on numbers and measures. Giving them a task using a "real" measuring cup with also help in their autonomy.

Next up, have your wee ones add a couple of drops or more of food color to each container. Using food color alone won't give you vibrant bright eggs but that's okay, what we're doing today is experimenting. You can add to the fun by having your wee ones use just the primary colors so they can mix their own or you can use just one color and use different amounts of drops in each bowl. Now it is time for the eggs. Have your wee ones add an egg to each container. If you like, you can have your wee ones draw on their eggs using a birthday candle or white crayon. Tell them is it secret magic art and wait until the eggs are added to their dye baths before more exploring. Talk about the colors they are using and if you like, set out a timer and make predictions on how dark the eggs may or may not get. Let your wee ones scoop the liquid from the bowl to pour over their egg.Give them a salt shaker and have them shake salt over the exposed part of the egg. What happens when you add another drop of food color? What happens when you add a scoop of the dye bath?Use a spoon to remove the eggs and set inside your empty egg carton to dry. Once the eggs are dry, you can extend the experimenting by giving your kidlets a paintbrush and some liquid watercolor or food color to paint their eggs some more. When you are finished, make sure to store the eggs in the refrigerator. Be wary of hiding your cooked eggs. Know where you are hiding them so that you can recover them all and make sure you do your egg hunt first thing in the morning while the temperature is still cool. Refrigerate immediately after. Have fun!