‘Tis the season for Spring colors and dyed eggs. We tried a dyed egg shells science and art activity. It is a variation on dying Easter eggs, but older toddlers and preschool ages children can handle the steps with your supervision. The end product-a really colorful piece of mosaic artwork. 

Dyed Egg Shells Science and Art

Supplies:

COLORING THE EGG SHELLS-

egg shells

Easter egg dye or food coloring

white vinegar

plastic container

3 small cups (clear, if possible)

spoon

cookie sheet

paper plates

CREATING THE DYED EGG SHELLS ART-

construction paper

glue

How to do it:

After cracking open eggs for breakfast, or after peeling your hard boiled eggs, save the shells.

Rinse the egg shells in a little soapy water, and lay the shells on a towel to dry completely. I then placed the washed and dried shells in a plastic container until we were ready to actually do this dyed egg shells activity.

Every time my daughter was sitting up on the counter while I was cooking, she would touch and try to crack the shells. (This is a prep step of the activity. Let your child break up the shells a bit to create smaller pieces.) A friend sent me this link for an egg shell sensory activity a few months back. Breaking the shells apart is inspired by that activity, but I decided to add some art and additional science to the experience as well.

Step 1: Gather your supplies-egg dye, spoons, cups, cookie sheet (1 per child to help contain the mess) paper plates.

Step 2: Follow package instructions to mix up the egg dye solution. I used three colors to keep it simple.

Each child ended up wanting to be responsible for one color, so we each took one cup of the dye to color the shells. They crushed and mixed until our Easter egg dye tablets were dissolved in the vinegar.

Step 3: Place some shell pieces on a paper plate for your child. They then place the shells in their dye and gently mix around with the spoon. The shells can stay in the dye for a certain amount of time (set the timer on the microwave) or your child can mix a certain number of times before they remove the shells.

For older kids, you can experiment with setting the timer for different times in order to see which times lead to the deepest colors.

Step 4: Remove the dyed shells and place them on a paper plate to dry. Repeat the process with any un-colored shells.

We had one plate with the white shells and then another plate for the dyed egg shells so we could dye the shells in batches.

Step 5: When the shells are dry, your child can create a dyed egg shells art project. Using glue, they can create a collage, pattern, or other design of their choice on a piece of construction paper.

A little festive Spring art!

This was an easy activity for both my preschooler and toddler to do at the same time. The art they could create all on their own-all I needed to do was guide them on how much glue to use. This cross mosaic kids art project uses a similar idea with brightly dyed egg shells. This other idea is not Spring-themed per se, but it is another fun way to use the dyed egg shells in mosaic art.

It is a very open-ended process-based activity that works well for a preschool aged child due to the science discussion that can take place. Ask your child their thoughts about why the dye can color the egg shells, why do the egg shells crack, or why the Easter egg dye tablet dissolves to create colored water.

Have you tried these Spring Activity Ideas for Preschool Kids?

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