Spring is such a beautiful time of year. Everything is starting to turn green again, new animals are being born, and the Easter season reminds us of God's love for everyone. With all of the beautiful colors and symbols, it is a perfect season for crafting.
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| A play-doh piggy and bunny the girls made |
A few weeks ago, the kids and I went to our local library, The Heginbothem Library. Miss Laura, the greatest librarian, had a spring and Easter book display. Both of the girls ended up picking one of their choice books from the display.
Boo chose "The Easter Egg" by Jan Brett. This is the same author (and beautiful illustrator) from "The Mitten" post last year. The story follows a young bunny, Hoppi, on his quest to decorate the best egg and be chosen to help the Easter bunny deliver goodies. He is discouraged by all of the lovely eggs the other bunnies are creating, and when a robin's egg falls from her nest, he is faced with a tricky decision. The pictures in the book are absolutely captivating due to Brett's attention to detail. The story itself is heart-warming and touches on morals like putting others first.
Bah chose "The Legend of the Easter Robin"by Dandi Daley Mackall. This story had a similar motif of compassion, but it also incorporated Jesus' sacrifice. It complicated things some as I had to explain to the girls that a "legend" is not something that is real, but the moral was still impacting. Both of these books are great reads, and i would definitely encourage you to check them out over the next month!
Reading these books instantly brought to mind over a half dozen different crafts and activities we could do:
1. grow seedlings like Flora Bunny
2. make tie-dye coffee filter eggs like Granny Ireney dyed her eggs
3. make candy eggs similar to Aunty Sassyfrass
4. make oschter-foggel (blown eggs decorated as birds) like Tressa and her Grandma
5. make God's eye to symbolize his love for us
6. make a watercolor background on the cross to remind us of Jesus' sacrifice
7. make yarn nests as decoration for the eggs we will dye closer to Easter
8. any other type of bunny, egg, or cross craft from Pinterest
Since it is still early in the season, we tried to do as many of the crafts as we could (of course some on the same day with my crazy crafters!). Hopefully, you will have time to try some too before Easter is here.
Egg Shell Seedlings
We plant a garden every year, and Bah is usually very involved in the process from helping decide what to plant to mapping out where to plant each item. Even though it isn't warm enough to plant in the ground yet, this activity allowed us to get some seedlings started and gets the kids even more involved. First, we took a trip to the local hardware store to purchase some seeds and potting soil. The kids chose: cucumbers, watermelon, lettuce, and tomatoes. Then, we carefully broke the top off of a dozen eggs. We saved the yolks and whites to use for scrambled egg muffins, and gently rinsed the shells. Next, the kids filled the shells with a scoop of dirt, inserted three seeds per shell, and returned them to the carton. We have a sunny window sill where we will store the shells to water them and keep them warm. They should be ready in a few weeks - just about in time to plant them into our garden.
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| Getting our shells ready |
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| Bubs pushing in his seed |
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| Ready to grow! |
The scrambled egg muffin is super easy to make too:
1. preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. scramble a dozen eggs
3. add any ingredients you like (we added ham and cheese, salt and pepper)
4. spray muffin tins
5. pour mix into tins - make sure to scoop from the bottom otherwise all your mixins will be left out
6. bake for 20-30 minutes until a knife comes out clean
7. we save these in the fridge and use them for breakfast throughout the week
Tie-dye Coffee Filter Eggs
We have done this craft before, but it has been a few years. It is super simple and makes for beautiful decorations, and if you don't have coffee filters, you can use paper towels. I love that even Bubs can fully participate.
Supplies:
Coffee filters or paper towels
Scissors
Washable Markers
Vinegar water in a spray bottle
Old towel for drying
Steps:
1. Cut the filters or towels into egg shapes. This can be as large or small as you like. You can even use a variety of sizes which is what we did.
2. Have the kids decorate the eggs using markers. Remind them that the effect will be tie-dyed, so they do not need to draw intricate pictures, just get some color on there.
3. Lay the colored eggs on the towel.
4. Use the vinegar water to generously squirt the eggs. You want to wet them enough that the colors start to run together.
5. Let dry over night.
6. Use the eggs to decorate. We like to hang ours on the back door because they look like sun catchers.
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| Getting started |
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| Bubs had to smell the markers of course since they were Mr. Sketch scented |
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| Bah spraying her egg |
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| Drying on the old towels |
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| Some of the pretty finished products |
Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Easter Eggs
Last year, the kids and I made homemade peanut butter balls dipped in white chocolate to look like eggs. They were delicious, but when I saw this recipe on Pinterest, I decided I needed to try it. http://www.
This was another one of those activities that is great for the kids because there is no cooking involved - just mixing, freezing, and dipping. They didn't turn out as pretty as the original, but they were sure tasty!
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| Mixing |
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| Bubs rolling his mix into a ball |
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| Shaping it into an egg |
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| Right before he ate his dough instead |
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| Ready to dip with our cousin Beans |
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| Finished product |
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| Boo gives them her approval |
Cross on a watercolor Sunrise
I saw a picture for this craft a few years ago but never got around to making it. The girls are getting old enough now, that they are really starting to get interested in the Bible, children's church, and the true meaning of Easter. Last year, we watched The Bible mini-series episode that tells of Jesus' Crucifixion and Resurrection. The girls were awe-struck, so I love being able to tie this craft back to their memory.
Supplies:
Watercolor paints
Water
Paint brushes
Black construction paper
Scissors
Tape or glue
Process:
1. Using the water colors, paint the white paper to resemble a sun rise.
2. While the page is drying, cut three crosses (one larger and two smaller) and a mound from the black construction paper.
3. Once the paint is dry, tape or glue the crosses onto the background. We used spray glue because I had it left over from birthday decorations, and it was quick and easy.
Bubs was off playing something else while the girls did this craft, but it is something he could have easily done too.
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| Busy at work |
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| Boo's final picture |
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| Bah's final picture (I just love the way her colors turned out!) |
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