While the tradition of decorating eggs at Easter has long endured, the products available for dyeing Easter eggs have evolved. The familiar dissolving discs are still around, but there are fun new additions like stickers, "magic crayons" for drawing designs, and glow-in-the-dark dyes.
For the best success with dyeing eggs, follow these steps:
Wash hands well before handling eggs at every step.
Start with clean, cold hard-cooked eggs.
For traditional colored eggs, add one dye tablet to 3 tablespoons of lemon juice in a 1-cup container. For ultra-vibrant colored eggs, substitute 3 tablespoons vinegar for the lemon juice. For pastel colored eggs, use 3 tablespoons of water.
Once the tablet has dissolved add a 1/2 cup of water and stir gently. Bend egg dipper and place the egg inside the dipper.
Gently place egg in color bath until desired shade is obtained. The longer the egg stays in the bath, the darker the shade will be.
If you're using your hard-cooked eggs for games, but still plan to eat them, keep in mind the total time out of the refrigerator should be no more than two hours. Longer than that, only use the eggs for decoration.
"Easter egg dyes have come a long way since they were introduced more than 125 years ago," says Michelle Soutter, brand manager for PAAS, the Easter egg-dye company. "While the original vinegar-based kits are as popular as ever, consumers also want new products to spark their creativity."
One way to put a fresh twist on egg decorating is to use your finished eggs as part of other craft projects or games. Here are a few fun ideas from the "egg-sperts" at PAAS:
Egg Hunts
Easter egg hunts are always fun, but older kids can end up with the lion's share of eggs. Make the hunt more fair by choosing a different color for each child and dyeing a certain number of eggs each color. The young ones can take their time finding their eggs while the older kids can make quick work of finding theirs.
Egg and Spoon Races
You may have seen egg and spoon races played with raw eggs that break when contestants drop them. Here's a new take on that age-old favorite. Carefully make a hole about the size of a pencil eraser in the wide end of each egg and blow out the contents through a smaller hole made at the opposite end. Dye the egg. When dry, fill the egg with confetti using the hole you made to blow out the egg. Stop up the hole with a piece of cellophane tape, or glue a square of colorful tissue paper over the hole. Create teams. Each player gets a spoon and each team gets a confetti egg. The first player runs across the yard to his teammate, who puts the egg on his spoon and races back. The team that crosses the finish line first without breaking their egg wins.
Mosaics
Even after you've eaten the hardboiled colored eggs, you still have the materials for one last craft project. As you peel the eggs, save the shells. Break the shells up into small pieces and glue them to cardboard or construction paper to create colorful mosaic works of art.