While you may be used to hanging Christmas or Yule ornaments that your children have made, this project allows you to start a spring ornament tradition. Each year you will to add to your collection by having your children decorate egg ornaments.
What You Need to Make a Spring Ornament
Purchase unpainted wood eggs at your local craft store. Although you may find a variety of sizes, look for wood eggs about the size of a large chicken egg. Smaller eggs can be challenging to decorate.
Below are a few suggestions for decorating the eggs. Use your child’s dexterity and interest in art when selecting materials. Gather the appropriate materials beforehand.
Avoid using dyes for coloring real eggs, as the vinegar is unnecessary to color wood.
Decorating Your Spring Ornament
Stickers – Cover the egg in stickers or place a few stickers that create a scene. Have your child use stickers that reflect a personal interest. Basic shapes like hearts, circles, and stars can overlap and cover the egg.
Crayons – Crayons may be your best option for children inclined to make a mess with some of the other supplies suggested.
Markers – Use regular markers, not washable markers that can wear off. Permanent markers provide the brightest colors and best chance at fine details.
Paint – Acrylic paints offer the brightest and longest lasting colors. Use a brush for detailed designs or a sponge for blocks of color. Food color creates a bright stain but it will bleed along the wood grain. The same thing can happen with watercolor paints.
Glitter, Sequins, and Rhinestones – Mix glitter with white glue. Use an inexpensive brush to paint the glitter glue over the egg. Glue sequin and rhinestone accents in place with hot glue or a strong adhesive.
Colored Tissue – Cut or tear small pieces of colored tissue paper. Add a little bit of water to white glue to smooth the glue’s texture. Use an inexpensive brush (or your fingertips) to cover the egg in glue. Add the tissue paper to the egg. Overlap the paper to create new colors.
Finishing the Spring Ornament
When the paint or glue is dry, write your child’s name and the year on the egg with a permanent marker. Spray the egg with polyurethane to protect the artwork.
Display Your Easter Ornaments
When you start this tradition, place the eggs in a basket with plastic, or real, eggs. Have a special stuffed animal protect the eggs. As your collection expands, fill a bowl or basket with the ornaments so that family and friends can pick up the eggs and examine them.
Along with dyeing chicken eggs for your spring or Easter basket, take the time to decorate a wood egg. Use different methods and materials each year to reflect the changes in your child’s interests and skill level. Over the years, your child will develop a basket of keepsakes that will recall memories of this special time of year.
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