Easter Egg Popsicle Cookies

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Easter baking is a treat for kids. With the pastel colors and springtime themes, children all over the world look forward to this time of the year. So pick a day with April showers, I am on the coast so there are plenty of those and start baking Easter treats with your kids.

Easter Egg Popsicle Cookies

First you have to make the sugar cookie dough.  You can make this the day before and chill it overnight.You will need:

1 1/2 cups of soft margarine
4 room temperature eggs
2 cups of white sugar
5 cups of flour
1 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder

Cream together the butter and sugar in a large bowl than add the eggs and vanilla. Mix all the dry ingredients in a separate bowl. Add the dry ingredients to the wet, mixing it in a bit at a time.
Cover and chill dough overnight or if you are pressed for time for at least one hour.

Roll out the dough until it is 1/4 inch thick. If you have a egg shaped or oval cookie dough cutter, use that to cut out the shapes from the dough. You can also cut a piece of cardboard like poster board or an empty cereal box into the shape of an egg. Press that onto the cookie dough and cut around the shape with a knife.

Pat the edges of each of the egg cookies so they are smooth. Place a piece of parchment paper on your cookie sheet. I love parchment paper because it makes life a little easier but if you don't have any simply butter the sheet lightly with margarine.

Insert a Popsicle stick inside the bottom of each oval cookie ever so gently so that it is halfway up into each one. Place in preheated oven at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for six to eight minutes. Let cool completely.

For the icing I mix icing sugar and milk till it is the consistency I want. I divide up the icing then add gel pastel food coloring to each one.  You can use food coloring and just user a smaller amount so that the color is diluted with the icing and is more pastel in color. I place each different color in a sandwich bag, twist the end so it does not come out the top and cut a tiny hole in the corner for the icing to come out. Then I ice around the perimeter of the cookie and then fill in the middle. I use one of those spreading knives to even it all out.

I love using that superfine colored sugar to sprinkle over the icing. They will look elegant but taste divine and the children will think they are almost as magical as the Easter Bunny.

Easter Egg Paint Crafts Part Two

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So many different ways to paint. So little time, well not really. Children have all those years to explore painting, textures and colors. It's no wonder we try to live vicariously through them. Here is Part Two of Easter Egg Paint Crafts.

Marble Eggs

1. Tape an egg shaped piece of paper to the inside of a box lid.
2. Pour a little paint in bowls. Drop a marble or two in the paint. 
3. Scoop the marbles out with a spoon and drop into the box.
4. Tilt the box so that the marble moves around .
5. Scoop the marbles out and drop them into a different color paint.
6. Repeat until you love your egg picture and let dry.

Another way to do this is to tape a square piece of paper to the bottom of the box lid. Then tape another paper on top that has a cut out of an egg shape. Do the same with the marbles and paint  but when you lift the top paper off you will have a really neat picture of a Easter Egg.

Glue Resist Easter Eggs

1. Cut out a large egg from a piece of watercolor or drawing paper.
2. Draw a design of the paper very carefully with white glue.
3. Let it dry. Paint over it with a combination of water colors. It's like magic as the glue resists the paint.

Crayon Resist Easter Eggs

1. Cut out big egg shapes out of watercolor of drawing paper.
2. Draw squiggly, zigzag, and swirly lines on your egg.
3. Draw circles, triangles and different shapes on your egg.
4. Paint over your egg with different color tempera paint.
5. Let dry.

Finger Print Easter Eggs

1. Cut out a egg shape from a piece of paper of any color.
2. Place blotches of paint in Styrofoam trays.
3. The older kids can draw a design on their eggs with yellow chalk. 
4. Press your finger in the paint and press onto the paper.
5. Do the outline to the design first, then fill in the rest.
6. Little kids can just have fun fingerprinting their eggs.

Junk Print Eggs

1. Cut out large egg shape from poster board.
2. Place paper towel in Styrofoam trays. Pour a little paint on top of the paper towel.
3. Get the children to go through your kitchen cupboards, the children's toys or the classroom and find interesting shapes for them to print with.
4. Place the shape in the paint then press it down on the paper egg.
5. Let dry.

Splatter Eggs

1. Cut out a egg shape from a large piece of paper. Tape to the table.
2. Have the children go outside and collect random and interesting shape rocks, leaves, shells and small sticks.
3. Place the objects randomly on the paper egg.
4. Dip an old toothbrush in paint and get them to run their fingers over the brush. 
5. They should do this over the objects on the paper.
6. This takes some getting use to, so this is a project for older children.
7. Get them to move the objects just a little bit and then splatter with a second color.

Marble Eggs

1. In two saucers mix an oil paint and mineral spirits. Just so it is runny enough to drip off the end of a paintbrush. You should have two saucers with a different color in each one.
2. Fill a shallow tray or bowl with water and pour the paint from the saucers into the water. Swirl gently with the paintbrush.
3. Gently lay the paper egg on the water so that it floats on top of the water. 
4. Lift off and let dry. Add more paint for the next Marble Egg.

Chalk it up to Eggs Picture

1. Pound different color chalks with a hammer. Keep the color separate. Children may enjoy doing this with large stones. 
2. Mix two egg yolks with a teaspoon of water. Divide into small containers, the liquid should be smooth and runny.
3. Add crushed chalk to the container and mix. Each container having it's own color.
4. Cut out a egg shape out of poster board and paint with the egg and chalk mixture. Let dry.

Scented Easter Eggs

1. Cut out egg shapes out of poster board. 
2. Mix an egg yolk with water till it is smooth and runny.
3. Mix in Kool-aid powder.
4. The kids will love their scented paint.
5. Paint designs on the paper egg.

Condiment and Juice Easter Eggs

1. Don't have any paint in the house? Not a problem, bring out the ketchup, mustard, coffee grounds, juice and frozen berries.
2. Kids will have a hoot painting on the paper cut out eggs with ingredients from the fridge. Experiment with the kids and come up with your own original paints.
3. Just add a little to the egg yolk and water mixture.

Paint and Scrape Easter Eggs

1. Cut a large egg out of poster board or cardboard. 
2. Mix tempera paint powder and water till you get a thick paint.
3. Cut strips of cardboard with different edges. zigzags, curvy, squares cut out of the edges, pointy and so on.
4. With a roller, cover the egg with a thick layer of paint.
5. Scrape lines, and designs in the egg with the cardboard strips.
6. Let dry.

Experiment this Easter with paint. Children will have fun getting messy and diving in trying all the different types of paint and processes. ave a vote and see which method is their favorite. You will end up with one decorated classroom of home and the smiling faces will tell you that art and creativity is at the heart of any holiday.

Easter Egg Paint Crafts Part One

Photo Courtesy of Simon Howden


Children of all ages love to paint. So I thought if would be lovely to experiment with paint on paper egg cutouts. The children will love the process as much as the wonderful results. Enjoy decorating the fridge, or the classroom walls with these paint projects.

Plastic Wrap Easter Eggs

1. Paint water onto a large sheet of white drawing or watercolor paper. If younger children are doing this project, supply them with large paint brushes, sponge brushes or rollers so that they can get the water on more quickly.
2. Paint big patches of bright Easter colors onto the paper. 
3. Crumple up a piece of plastic wrap then pat it down gently on the egg and leave overnight to dry.
4. The next day, gently remove the plastic wrap and check out the masterpiece. 

Aluminum Foil Easter Eggs

1. Cut out a egg shape out of white drawing or watercolor paper. 
2. Brush it with water and add large botches of colored ink.
3. Crumple up aluminum foil and press the foil down gently covering the whole egg. Leave on for a little bit.
4. Remove and check out the wonderful Easter egg picture.

Waxed Paper Easter Eggs

1. Cut out egg shape out of drawing or watercolor paper.
2. Paint it with water than drip different colors of tempera paint all over it.
3. Crumple up wax paper than lay flat across the picture. Let dry until the morning.
4. Then gently lift up the wax paper.

Bubble Wrap Easter Eggs

1. Cut out egg shapes out of drawing or watercolor paper.
2. Paint the egg with water.
3. Paint batches of different acrylic paint colors onto the egg.
4. Press bubble wrap onto the whole surface and remove.

Potato Print Easter Eggs

1. Place a folded paper towel in each Styrofoam tray.
2. Pour liquid tempera paint onto the paper towel.
3. Cut potatoes in half and cut out stars, circles and lines out on the flat side of the potatoes.
4. Press the potato onto the paint and stamp the designs onto the egg shaped paper.
5. Let dry.

Textured Paint Easter Eggs

1. Mix 5 cups of water, 2 cups of flour, 1/2 cup of sugar and 3 tablespoons of salt in a bowl. 
2. Transfer mixture into a saucepan and cook for seven minutes until thick and bubbly.
3. Cool and store leftovers in fridge up to two weeks.
4. Divide mixture into five containers and mix with 1/4 cups of liquid tempera paint.
5. Use fingers, spoons. or Popsicle sticks to paint cardboard or poster board egg shapes.

Starchy Easter Egg Paintings

1. Mix liquid starch with tempera paint until you have a nice thick shiny paint.
2. Cut out egg shapes from poster board.
3. Use stiff brushes to paint on the egg and kitchen utensils like forks to scratch in different types of lines.
4. Let dry.

Dotty Easter Eggs

1. Cut egg shape out of white paper.
2. Draw a design on your egg with yellow chalk.
3. With a Q-tip, dot in the outline with liquid tempera paint.
4. Use a different Q-tip for each color.
5. Fill in your design.
6.  This is time consuming and is more fitted for older kids.

Painting is so much fun and there are a lot of different techniques. Enjoy this little sampling of Easter Egg painting and check back for Part Two.

Homemade Easter Games

                                                          Photo Courtesy of  Simon Howden


Easter is a great holiday for children around the world. It brings families together to celebrate in their religion or for the simple fact that spring is finally here. Children get to indulge in chocolate, candy and baked goodies. There is usually a huge Easter feast with ham as the centerpiece. Easter egg hunts can be thrilling or a disappointment. It all depends on how well planned the Easter egg hunt was for all the different ages. But there is always the hunt at home so in the end the children get more than enough sweets. Easter can also be full of spring games that delight everyone. What fun it will be for a child to be part of the process of helping create the equipment or pieces for the game and then play the game afterwards.

Today I will show you how to make fun homemade games that you can use for family reunions, birthday parties that fall around Easter or for teachers to use in classrooms and preschools.

Easter Bocche Ball

1. Mix equal amounts of glue and water. Each child can make a tissue egg ball in the bowl and squeeze out the glue. Let dry.
2. Let each child pick out one or more colors of tissue paper. As long as their egg balls differ from one another in color. Glue small pieces of tissue all over the egg ball. 
3. Make a target egg ball in a completely different color.
4. When all the egg balls are dry, place a piece of rope on the floor as a starting point. Throw the target ball first. Each child then gets a turn to throw their egg ball. The child whose egg ball is closest to the target wins.

Easter Ball Tag

1. Each child is to cut out 2 oval shapes out of felt.
2.  He can decorate both eggs by gluing on shapes and lines from different colored felts. Let dry.
3. The child will then stick onto the center of each egg, three equal precut equal lengths of loop-sided Velcro. 
4. Place a piece of paper inside a T-shirt. Glue the egg on the front and on the back. When it is dry remove the piece of paper.
5. Cut two strips of the hook-sided Velcro and glue them on a soft ball so that it goes around the ball and crosses each other. Let dry.
6. The children slip on the t-shirts and try to hit the target on each other. When you are hit, you return the ball to the person and sit down. Last one standing wins.

Musical Easter Eggs

1. Each Child can draw shapes and lines and color a large Easter egg shape out of poster-board.
2. Place the egg shapes on the floor with room to move between them.
3. Play music and remove one egg each time.
4.  When the music starts everyone starts dancing or hopping around the eggs. When the music stops they have to hop onto an egg. 
5. The child who does not have a egg to hop onto has to sit out but gets a turn at controlling the music and removing an egg.
6. Keep going until there is only one is left.     

  Bocche ball, tag and musical chairs are fun but when you give them a Easter twist and get the children to help create the games, it becomes a wonderful way to celebrate Easter.

Easter Egg Games for Home, School or Parties

Hide 'Em & Find 'Em Eggs (Single unit Random Color)Jumbo Plastic Printed Easter EggPlastic Easter Eggs Assorted Colors (2 dozen)Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Eggs Easter Candy 44 Ounce Bag

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Easter Eggs are a symbol of the birth of spring. Have a good supply of decorated Easter Eggs and filled plastic eggs for these games. Pick the games that are age appropriate for your gathering and have fun.

Easter Tic-Tac-Toe 


Play a giant version of this game inside using rope, string or temporary tape on the carpet or floor to mark off the Tic-Tac-Toe board. Decorate or have the children decorate the day before large eggs cut out of foam, construction paper or poster board. These eggs are the O's in the game. The X's can be chick shapes, crosses or any other Easter symbol. Two children pick if they are going to be the egg or the chick and take turns placing their pieces on the board. The child who gets three of their symbols in a line wins.

Egg and Spoon Race


Depending on the age of the children there are a number of different variations of this game. For the preschoolers, it should be kept simple with a wooden spoon of tablespoon to carry a Easter egg or plastic egg filled with treats. They simply have to make it across the line. Elementary children can have a relay race using a tablespoon. The older kids can use two spoons and eggs or carry the spoon in their mouths in a relay race.

Easter Eggs and Knees Race


The child is to carry the egg to the end of the line between their knees. If they drop the egg they have to run back to the start and begin again.

Egg in a Flower Pot Race


For the older kids, place a raw egg in a flower pot and have them balance it on the top of their head. They can run or walk to the finish line. If the flower pot falls and the egg breaks, they have to start again. If the egg does not break they can put it back in the flower pot and resume from where they stopped. If you don't want the children to get messy just use a boiled egg and have them restart from the beginning if the flower pot and egg falls off their head. 


Egg Toss


One way to play this game is to have the children pair off. They stand a couple of feet away facing each other and toss and egg back and forth. When they each have had a turn tossing and catching the egg they both take  
a small step back and repeat. The winning pair are the ones who are left and have not dropped their egg.

Another way to play this for each child to toss his egg in the air. While it is in the air they clap this hand. The next time you can add a different body movement like touch your knees or for the older kids add to the movement. They would have to clap their hands then touch their knees and so on. The winner is the child who is able to complete all the movements without dropping his egg.

Easter Egg Twister


This is like a twister game except you make four different types of Easter egg out of four different colors. Make a spinner out of construction paper, cardboard and a paper fastener. Make large paper eggs out of the resembling the ones on the spinner and place them on the floor. With each spin one player takes a turn to place a body part on the egg shape. The winner is the one who has not fallen.

Easter games are a joy to watch especially if the eggs are raw and no one minds getting messy. Just be sure that the children are old enough and have the large and small motor skills and co-ordination so that you are not setting them up for failure. If you want everyone to be a winner, simply use plastic eggs with treats inside. Be sure that the plastic eggs are secured with tape so that they do not open up in the middle of a game. This way each child receives a prize for a job well done.