Easter is nearly here! Time to break out the pastel colors and the plastic eggs!
Believe it or not, my boys still participate in Easter egg hunts. Shh. Don’t spread that around – they’ll get cranky. *grin* My parents host an elaborate Easter egg hunt over at their house every year; the boys end up finding about 30 eggs a piece before it’s all over. My mom, er, the Easter bunny also hides one huge golden egg for each boy to find which is definitely the highlight of the hunt!
In addition to finding candy in their eggs, they also find money, which is a HUGE hit with four teenage boys. Though they grumble and roll their eyes whenever grandma “makes” them participate in the hunt, they really have a good time and Easter at the grandparents will always hold a special place in their hearts.
I’d like to pass along some cute and interesting Easter crafts that I found over at Family Fun:
For this decorating trick, use any unwanted neckwear from Dad’s closet, or buy silk ties from a thrift shop. A bath in hot water transfers the tie’s patterns to the eggshell with magical ease.
CRAFT MATERIALS:
Old silk necktie
Raw egg
2 rubber bands
Long-handled slotted spoon
Paper towel
Time needed: Under 1 Hour
1. Cut 5 to 6 inches off the wide end of the silk necktie and unfold the fabric.
2. Snugly wrap the fabric, right side against the egg, and secure it with the rubber bands.
3. Place the wrapped egg in a pot of boiling water for 15 minutes.
4. Take the egg from the pot with the spoon. When the egg is cool enough to handle, unwrap it and set it on a paper towel to dry.
How clever! I wonder if this would really work?
For a centerpiece your family will flock to, anchor a tree branch in a pot of sand or pebbles, then dangle a bunch of these little swingers. We glued on some green tissue paper leaves for an extra touch of spring.
CRAFT MATERIALS:
Egg carton
Hole punch
1/4-inch-wide ribbon
Colored tissue paper
Pinking shears or decorative-edge craft scissors
Blown eggs
Glue stick
Colored feathers
Colored card stock
Marker
Time needed: About 1 to 2 Hours
1. For each, cut a cup from the egg carton and punch 3 holes as shown.
2. Cut 3 pieces of ribbon, each about 9 inches long. Thread an end of each piece through a hole in the carton and knot it, then tie the other ends of the ribbons together.
3. Cut two 2- by 6-inch rectangles of tissue paper, one with the pinking shears. Lay the pinked rectangle on top of the other. Wrap the papers around a blown egg so that the pinked edge peeks out from behind the straight edge. Secure with the glue stick.
4. Place the wrapped egg in the cradle. Use the glue stick to attach a small tuft of feather and a card stock beak and eyes to the egg. Make pupils on the eyes with the marker.
We have an indoor (fake) tree in the corner of our living room. This would be so cute to hang the birdies from!
With a snip of your scissors and a bit of paint, ugly-duckling cartons blossom into graceful swan cups. Use colors that match your dyed eggs for a simple but beautiful display.
CRAFT MATERIALS:
Egg carton (paper-based works best with paint)
Acrylic paint
Paintbrush
Tacky glue
Colored feathers
Small, black seed beads
Dyed eggs
Time needed: Under 1 Hour
1. For each egg holder, cut a cup from the egg carton as shown.
2. Paint the cup inside and out. Let it dry, then paint on the beak.
3. Glue on the tail feathers and bead eyes and put a dyed egg in the cup.
NO excuses not to recycle the egg cartons now! 🙂
(All of these crafts reminded me of the time I made a bunch of washcloth bunnies for the boys’ preschool class. They are super easy to make [they are much cuter than this picture] and they have a space to insert a plastic egg into them. The kids loved them!! Super easy, fun and cheap to make.)
Here’s the great little bunny craft that everyone loves to make from a washcloth.
You Need:
* White Washcloth
* Pipe Cleaner
* Small Pink Pompom
* Small White Pompom
* Two Wiggle Eyes — 10mm
* Scrap of Craft Foam
* Low Temp Glue Gun, or Tacky Glue
Instructions:
Lay the washcloth on the table diagonally so it looks like a diamond. Beginning at the top point, roll down the washcloth to the middle. Roll the bottom up to the middle. Fold it in half so you have a long strip.
Fold the strip in half. Bunch up near the ends to make a head, tying a pipe cleaner around the bunch to make a head. Fluff the ends to make ears.
Glue on wiggle eyes, pompom nose and foam strips for whiskers. Glue on pompom tail.
Mold marshmallows into sweet mini bunnies that are a treat to eat.
CRAFT MATERIALS:
Marshmallows
Scissors
Toothpick
Food coloring
Time needed: Under 1 Hour
1. Using scissors, make a diagonal cut in the upper left corner of the marshmallow.
2. Gently lift the corner and make a snip down the middle.
3. Use your fingers to separate the ears and angle them outward.
4. From the point where the first cut was made, snip to the middle of the marshmallow.
5. Pinch the cut end slightly to form a rounded tail.
6. For the bunny’s face, make an 1/4-inch horizontal cut midway between the base of the ears and the bottom of the marshmallow.
7. Create the feet by making a diagonal cut in the lower left corner of the marshmallow. Divide the feet as shown.
8. Using a toothpick dipped in food coloring, draw on the eyes, nose, and whiskers.
**I also just found some great links to some Easter fun tips on Parent Hacks.
Have fun!
Write From Karen 