Dinosaur Eggs Make For Easter Fun!

By Cindy Wilkinson

Easter egg hunts can be a real highlight for children as they enjoy the Easter holiday.   But, you may be looking for a bit of variety from the dyed, hard boiled eggs decorated each year.  Here is a great idea for creating paper mache dinosaur eggs.  These can be made with the help of children of all ages, from toddlers up to school aged.  Read on for more on how to create some cool dinosaur eggs with your child.

First, you will need to blow up a balloon and tie the end.  The second stage involves using the paper mache process to cover the balloon with newspaper strips and paste.  I just simply mixed flour and water until I found a good consistency to work with.  You could also use a glue mixture if you like.  Then, take strips of newspaper and glue them onto the balloon, covering it completely.  After it dries, you can repeat the process several more times.  You may also want to use white paper, such as computer paper for your last layer of paper.  Then, since it is white, it is easier to paint when dry, especially if using lighter colors or water colors.  If you are interested in seeing a video of the paper mache process, here is a link:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KaLmdRBvGG4

A fun way to engage toddlers with this activity is to let the child tear the newspaper for you.  The 14 mo old I was working with loved doing this and especially enjoyed watching each piece as she dropped it to the floor!  We actually put a basket below her high chair to catch the pieces of paper, which helped a bit with the mess.   The older child helping with this project loved the pasting process.  It is very gooey and messy and some children may be somewhat intimidated.  But, the child who engages in art projects on a regular basis will not be afraid of rolling up his sleeves and jumping right in!

Once the egg is completely dry (I let it dry overnight), we then painted it with tempera paint.  You could also use watercolors or continue to glue on crepe paper.  Be creative!  You may want to ask the child you are working with what he or she would like to add to the decoration of your egg.  Children of all ages can participate with the painting process too.  Once the egg is painted, you could even add stickers, googly eyes to create a face, or anything else to decorate it in your own unique way. 

So, instead of searching for the traditional Easter eggs this year, you may want to have a dinosaur egg hunt in your backyard instead.  Most importantly, have fun with this activity while fostering the creativity in your child!