Coloring Eggs
I pointedly did not title this post Easter eggs. I will confess readily, however, that our little family has a spring tradition centered on changing the color of the shells of naturally white eggs, hard-boiled. This year, with ALL the children and grandchildren here on the Sunday after Easter, our usual fun time was delayed--to our great financial advantage.
We don't even try to connect this colored-egg event to the true meaning of Easter. We do try to cover that truth in other ways.
All the Easter stuff was on clearance at Walmart, so Hiromi indulged in one of his favorite activities--ample provision. I think I should capitalize and "bold" those "ample provision" words.
He came home with six large colorful baskets for gathering the eggs the dads always hide. He also purchased six fuzzy little stuffed bunnies in a variety of colors. Each item cost less than a dollar. Egg coloring kits had been purchased earlier. There was even a set of supplies for Cedric who is too young to walk.
With each family providing hardboiled eggs, we set up the egg coloring operation on the plastic-covered dining room table. In styrofoam cups we put either 1/2 cup of water or 1/2 cup of vinegar and one tablet of coloring. After the tablet dissolved we were ready for children. One grandma and three moms reached around to provide a one-to-one ratio of adults and children old enough to help. Then we dipped eggs and oohhhhed and ahhhhed over the lovely eggs that emerged from the dye bath. The eggs dried on the little cardboard drying racks we made from the dye boxes. Since Hiromi had also bought some fancy decorating supplies (stickers and a "paint" roller), some of the eggs sported further embellishments--whatever the children wanted.
The hardest part was having to wait inside while the men hid the eggs. Tristan is a veteran of several egg hunts and quickly gathered more than his share of eggs. His dad counseled him to hide some of them again so that others could find them. He obliged.
The littlest ones needed help finding the eggs. So the adults did the delicate dance between helping and still letting the children think the finding happened because of their own astute powers of observation (I doubt that these were the exact words in their thought processes). A little game soon evolved. "I think I'm smelling some eggs over here." No. They were perfectly fresh, but we all know that "smelling" things is the time-honored way of indicating nearness to hidden objects.
Our slightly unmanicured landscape provided many hiding places. In the groundcovers, under the honeysuckle vine on the cave cellar, in the "stumps" of the ornamental grasses from last year, in the crevices of the decaying railroad ties dividing the front yard and the driveway, at the base or in the low forks of trees--all these were perfect hiding places.
We never counted the eggs to make sure they were all found, but we quit when the dads couldn't think of any more places to look. Then we lined up all the kiddos, seated on the grass in the back yard, baskets and eggs in hand, and we took pictures. You'll have to imagine them, since it would take me too long to figure out how to post them.
As usual, Wyatt came through for us in the drama department during the picture taking. "Juggle" he called out as he began to throw his eggs up in the air. They rained down in his general vicinity, with one soundly thumping him on the head. That put a temporary pause in the juggling activity while he rubbed the spot, but not in the picture taking, fortunately.
Coloring and hiding and finding eggs is a great family activity for young children. I recommend it.
We don't even try to connect this colored-egg event to the true meaning of Easter. We do try to cover that truth in other ways.
All the Easter stuff was on clearance at Walmart, so Hiromi indulged in one of his favorite activities--ample provision. I think I should capitalize and "bold" those "ample provision" words.
He came home with six large colorful baskets for gathering the eggs the dads always hide. He also purchased six fuzzy little stuffed bunnies in a variety of colors. Each item cost less than a dollar. Egg coloring kits had been purchased earlier. There was even a set of supplies for Cedric who is too young to walk.
With each family providing hardboiled eggs, we set up the egg coloring operation on the plastic-covered dining room table. In styrofoam cups we put either 1/2 cup of water or 1/2 cup of vinegar and one tablet of coloring. After the tablet dissolved we were ready for children. One grandma and three moms reached around to provide a one-to-one ratio of adults and children old enough to help. Then we dipped eggs and oohhhhed and ahhhhed over the lovely eggs that emerged from the dye bath. The eggs dried on the little cardboard drying racks we made from the dye boxes. Since Hiromi had also bought some fancy decorating supplies (stickers and a "paint" roller), some of the eggs sported further embellishments--whatever the children wanted.
The hardest part was having to wait inside while the men hid the eggs. Tristan is a veteran of several egg hunts and quickly gathered more than his share of eggs. His dad counseled him to hide some of them again so that others could find them. He obliged.
The littlest ones needed help finding the eggs. So the adults did the delicate dance between helping and still letting the children think the finding happened because of their own astute powers of observation (I doubt that these were the exact words in their thought processes). A little game soon evolved. "I think I'm smelling some eggs over here." No. They were perfectly fresh, but we all know that "smelling" things is the time-honored way of indicating nearness to hidden objects.
Our slightly unmanicured landscape provided many hiding places. In the groundcovers, under the honeysuckle vine on the cave cellar, in the "stumps" of the ornamental grasses from last year, in the crevices of the decaying railroad ties dividing the front yard and the driveway, at the base or in the low forks of trees--all these were perfect hiding places.
We never counted the eggs to make sure they were all found, but we quit when the dads couldn't think of any more places to look. Then we lined up all the kiddos, seated on the grass in the back yard, baskets and eggs in hand, and we took pictures. You'll have to imagine them, since it would take me too long to figure out how to post them.
As usual, Wyatt came through for us in the drama department during the picture taking. "Juggle" he called out as he began to throw his eggs up in the air. They rained down in his general vicinity, with one soundly thumping him on the head. That put a temporary pause in the juggling activity while he rubbed the spot, but not in the picture taking, fortunately.
Coloring and hiding and finding eggs is a great family activity for young children. I recommend it.
posted by Mrs. I (Miriam Iwashige) at
6:18 AM
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