Well, here we are, Easter is over, and now we have copious amounts of those annoying plastic Easter eggs. (Well, actually we’re down a few because Ginger the cock-a-poo has discovered their charms!) But anyway, even if you don’t have scads on hand, they’re on sale everywhere for cheap, cheap, cheap! So here’s a coupla good reasons to get crafty with ’em….
Make your own Egg Rattle Snake complete with rattler! If you’ve got a dremel or drill handy, this is made only with eggs and some stretchy cording. This site has full step-by-step instructions. What little tyke wouldn’t enjoy this? (My cute nephew Ben would!)
Here’s a great idea using your eggs as molds – making your own egg-shaped sidewalk chalk. You simply mix powdered tempera, water, and plaster of paris and then pour in into the eggs. Wait till it sets up, and voila! Egg-shaped chalk. And now that spring is springing, it’ll be time soon to get out there and decorate the driveway.
My personal favorite is making Rhythm Egg Shakers. I’ve made these in my career as a music therapist with folks ages 3 years to 90. Really. If found a nice link for explaining how to decoupage with Mod Podge, if you’d like a refresher, but really the process is simple.
Pick a “fill” material for your eggs. I like to put out bowls of rice, sand, lentils, popcorn, cheap plastic beads, paperclips, wood beads, etc. Part of the fun is seeing what things sound like inside the eggs. Have a sonic experiment! What sounds high? What has a “chunky” sound? Which fill is louder/softer? After you figure out what sounds best to you, close up your egg. You can give it a temporary seal with some masking tape.
Then you do your decoupage. Rip up 1-2 inch bits of tissue paper, wrapping paper, printed paper napkins, etc. (I use lots of leftover Christmas tissue.) Smear a thin layer of glue or Mod Podge over the plastic, and start laying down pieces of your tissue. Cover the whole egg, using a brush or your fingers to smooth the layers down. Make sure the tissue overlaps, and I recommend 2 layers to make sure the egg won’t break open if dropped. I like to put the eggs in a plastic egg carton to dry. About 2 hours later, flip the eggs over to make sure they dry on all sides.
Lastly, I like to do some surface decoration. I’ve used glitter paints, sequins, beads, micro beads (the ones with no holes) and glow-in-the dark fabric paints. I especially like glitter/fabric paints in the squeeze bottles. They make it easy to decorate! Make swirls, flowers, or other designs of your choice. Roll them in beads. Tap in sequins or rhinestones. Go crazy! I have a basket of egg shakers on the piano, and my kids love them for the different sounds, textures, and colors. (I kept the bead-y ones away from the toddlers- they like to bite them!)
You can decorate your eggs for different holidays, or make a rainbow of them and use them in different music games. Too much fun! Here’s a pic of mine:
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I’m getting out this years plastic eggs right now. Great Ideas!
Thanks for posting your link & comment at CROQ zine – these are some great ideas for reusing those pesky plastic eggs!
this would be a great Easter art/music project in school before the kids leave for Easter vacation. Or a neat project for a child to make with friends during Easter vacation and then have their own little concert.