Rainbow eggs
This is a fun art project for children that could be incorporated into a springtime ritual or celebration. I've done many versions of natural dyed Easter eggs, but for these ones I used: frozen raspberries for pink (beet usually works a bit better but I was out of them), frozen blueberries and purple cabbage for blue, turmeric for yellow, chili powder for orange and liquid chlorophyll (buy at you local natural foods market) for green. Boil each item in a bit of water for about 10 minutes (except the chlorophyll, just add a dropperful of it to some hot water) and add a bit of vinegar to each color bowl. For natural dyes, you need to leave the eggs in each bowl much longer than their drugstore counterpart (we left them in for about 15 minutes), but then again, you can also eat them afterwards which is a bonus!
For a more personalized touch, you could have each child decorate a special egg with paint, glitter or other decorations and then make a nest for their egg with feathers, grasses, twigs and flowers. Eggs are ancient symbols of life, growth, birth, fertility, transformation and protection. Most children love the idea of nests and creating a soft space for new and tender life forms. Another idea is to write a goal or a quality on the egg that the child wants to "come to life" this spring and a family or group of kids could pass them around and share with each other what they want to bring to life. Have fun and Happy Spring!
