egg mosaics

It might be a little early to start dying eggs, unless of course you're dying those eggs to make an egg mosaic. I like egg mosaics because children can be involved in the entire process, from cracking the eggs to smashing them up and scattering them about. It's definitely a process over product activity and with each step your child will learn a little patience - which is a good thing.

materials:
egg shells
food coloring
glue
card stock/canvas/cardboard (firm paper)
mortar & pestle

get to work:
1. Begin by rinsing and drying out your egg shells.

2. Then dye the egg shells according to the food coloring package. (Most require 1/2 cup hot water, 2tsb. of vinegar and food coloring).

3. Let the dyed egg shells dry.

4. Once the shells are dry, get out the mortar and pestle and smash up your shells. *You might want to use multiple bowls to keep the different colors separated.

5. Now begin gluing the pieces onto your paper. *You can use a cookie cutter to make shapes if you'd like.

6. Let dry and display.

Food coloring can get a bit messy with kids, I always have a magic eraser handy to wipe up any spills. Have you used one before? They are awesome for cleaning up almost anything!

Smashing the egg is Max's favorite part. This is a good "keep them busy" kind of activity!

With our first attempt, we tried to make a moon shaped mosaic using a cookie cutter. However, that's not always easy with the busy little hands of a toddler.