Spring is a time to celebrate the renewal of life and nature. This year Easter falls on April 16. Before the month slips away, crack open your calendar and peel away some time for these “egg-stra” special activities.

Earthy Egg Heads

Items needed: egg shells; permanent markers; dirt or potting soil; grass seed; toilet paper roll; stickers.

Crack a raw egg around the upper section of the shell. Peel the opening and remove the egg. Rinse the shell and let it dry. Carefully draw a face on the front of the egg. Now fill it half full with dirt. Sprinkle grass seed on top and cover with a little more dirt. To make a base for your egghead, cut off a small section of the toilet paper roll and decorate with markers and/or stickers. Place the egg on the base. Every day sprinkle a little water over the dirt. Within a week or so “hair” will begin to grow.

Edible Egg Dye

Items needed: natural dyes (purple grape juice [purple], blueberries [blue], spinach leaves [green], lemon peel or ground cumin [yellow], yellow onion skins [orange], cranberries [pink]); water; six pans; empty eggshells; white vinegar.

Add one natural dye ingredient, along with water, to each pan and bring to a boil. Let cool. Strain the dye ingredient so only liquid is left. Place egg shells in each pan along with the colored dye. Add enough water and two teaspoons of white vinegar to cover the eggs. (Note: Do not add vinegar to the pan that had onion skins.) Bring each pot to boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 15 minutes. Let the eggs sit until they reach the desired color, then remove from the pans and let dry.

Cascarone Craze

Items needed: empty egg shells; egg cartons; dye; funnel; confetti; glue; scissors; 2 ½-inch square pieces of tissue paper.

Cascarones, also known as confetti eggs, are popular in Mexico. Several weeks in advance, begin saving eggshells. When cracking open a raw egg, break around the upper section of the shell. Peel the opening so the hole is no more than 1-inch around. Remove the egg. Rinse the shell, let it dry hole side down, then store it in an empty carton. When you have a dozen empty eggshells, dye them using the conventional or natural method (see Edible Egg Dye).

When dry, place the eggs back into the carton with the hole side up. Use a funnel to fill each egg about half full with confetti. Apply glue to the outer edges of a 2 ½-inch square piece of tissue paper and cover the holes. On Easter give everyone a confetti-filled egg, and then follow tradition by chasing each other around and cracking the egg on one another’s heads for good luck. Better yet, use them for egg tosses, relay races, and other games. 

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Denise Morrison Yearian is the former editor of two parenting magazines and the mother of three children and four grandchildren.