Grandparents, as you know, Easter will soon be here which provides for a great opportunity to sit down and spend quality time with your grandchildren. While creating one of a kind artistic masterpieces to cherish, take advantage of your time together and chat about anything and everything that comes along. I’m sure it will become a well thought of memory for both grandparents and grandchild in years to come.

My daughter, the preschool teacher, suggested these first 2 Easter crafts for me to share with you. She knows grandparents and grandchildren will enjoy them. I hope you enjoy all 7 crafts I have listed here. What crafts did you enjoy creating with your children, and now your grandchildren? I’d love to know and share with my readers!

Easter Egg Sun Catcher

Materials:

• cardboard
• construction paper (any color)
• tissue paper (pastel colors)
• markers
• glitter
• scissors
• clear glue stick
• clear contact paper
• string or yarn
• double sided tape
• suction cup for hanging

Instructions:

1. cut an egg shape out of the cardboard, about 11 inches long. Use this as a template to cut out a large egg from the construction paper
2. draw different shapes and patterns to cut out on the egg
3. cut out the designs and leave them for later
4. decorate the egg as you please using a clear glue stick and glitter, markers, etc.
5. place a sheet of contact paper a little larger than your egg on a table with sticky side up. (anchor contact paper with double sided tape at the corners to prevent slipping around)
6. turn the Easter egg over and lay it on the contact paper and press down
7. cut or tear pieces of tissue paper to fit in the cut-out sections and press them down onto the contact paper showing through
8. decorate the second side of the egg as you did the first side
9. make a loop with the yarn or string and glue it to the middle top of the egg
10. lay a second piece of contact paper over the egg and press down
11. trim around the edge leaving enough to seal the edges and the loop
12. hang your sun catcher in a sunny window

The light will shine through the tissue paper to give a beautiful sun catcher effect.

Easy Toddler Sun Catcher

Materials:

• clear contact paper
• scraps or pieces of colored tissue paper
• hole puncher
• piece of yarn

Instructions:

1. cut some colored tissue paper into small squares (or other shapes), about 1 x 1 inch
2. cut two squares (size is up to you) of clear contact paper
3. place one square of contact paper sticky side up on a table
4. allow your grandchild to drop, place, pat or throw the tissue paper onto the contact paper
5. take the second piece of contact paper and press evenly to the decorated shape
6. punch a hole in the edge and thread a piece of yarn or curl ribbon for hanging
7. hang in a sunny window

Hollow Easter Egg Keepsake

About 4 years ago, I made a Easter Egg keepsake for my oldest granddaughter. Yesterday, she accidentally shook the matching keepsake box and cracked the eggshell. (I hadn’t thought of lining the inside of the box - otherwise, it may have not cracked.) She cried and my heart broke. To surprise her and I will make another for her for this Easter and one for her sister, too.

Materials:

• hollowed out egg (wash the outside of a raw egg, make hole with a sharp nail in the top and bottom of a raw egg - then blow through the top hole until the raw egg empties out, wash again). 
• Easter egg dye
• narrow decorative ribbon (I used pale blue)
• acrylic paints (I used dark pink, green, yellow)
• fine point paint brush
• hot glue gun and sticks
• Wooden box large enough to hold egg
• Batting and felt to line box

Instructions:

• hollow out the egg (see above)
• dye the egg one solid color (I used yellow) and let dry
• wrap the ribbon around the middle of the egg once and glue to the egg
• wrap the ribbon around the egg lengthwise once and glue to the egg
• make a loop of ribbon and glue at the top of the egg
• inside each “window” made by the ribbon, paint a green small stem and two leaves, let dry
• paint a small pink flower at the top of each stem (I used 4 small dots), let dry
• paint a small yellow dot in the middle of the flower, let dry

Keepsake Box

1. paint the box yellow to match the egg, let dry
2. paint one or more matching flowers on the outside lid and include your grandchild’s name and date, let dry
3. inside the lid, paint a matching flower, let dry
4. line the inside of the box bottom section (bottom and sides) with batting covered with felt - secure with hot glue
5. place the Easter Egg inside the box and wrap in a special gift bag with matching tissue paper

Easter Egg Tree

My granddaughters decorated the tree in the middle of their front yard with decorated eggs hung by ribbon. They used plastic tree hanging eggs they bought from a store, but for children in Germany and Austria it is customary for children hang hollowed out eggs. I’m sure adults help them with the eggs. For younger children, here is a simple Easter Egg Tree Paper Craft.

Materials:

• brown construction paper
• paper eggs (trace an Easter egg cookie cutter and cut out after decorated)
• scissors
• glue sticks
• crayons, colored pencils
• blue construction paper
• green tissue paper
• white cotton balls

Instructions:

1. make the tree trunk by tracing your child’s arm from the elbow up, including fingers spread out.
2. decorate paper eggs - color the decorative part first with colored pencil, then color over the whole egg with crayon
3. cut out decorated eggs
4. glue to tree
5. glue tree to blue construction paper
6. glue green tissue paper at the bottom for grass
7. glue white cotton balls for clouds in the sky
8. hang it in your window for everyone outside to see

Giant Easter Egg

Here is a craft for an older grandchild. I remember making this with my Girl Scout troop years ago. It can be a bit messy so wear an apron and roll up your sleeves! When you are done, this can be used as your table centerpiece.

Photo:  This string Easter Egg was made with a smaller balloon.

Materials:

• balloons
• liquid starch or watered down glue
• large paintbrushes
• crochet thread - various solid colors or multi-colored

Note before you begin: 

• If you want to be able to place figurines, flowers, or candy inside the finished egg, leave a section on one side not covered by the thread when you are wrapping it around the balloon.
• You can flatten the end of the egg by pressing on it gently so it will stand on end.
• Work quickly before the starch or glue dries or add more as needed.
• After the balloon is taken out, it will be delicate since there won’t be anything to support the sides if pressed upon. Handle with care.

Instructions:

1. blow up a balloon and tie a 2 ft. piece of thread to the bottom
2. cover the entire balloon with starch or watered down glue, using a large paint brush
3. wrap crochet thread around the balloon in one direction, leaving small gaps about 1/2 inch wide so the balloon isn’t completely covered. (wrapping doesn’t have to be perfect)
4. apply another light layer of starch or clue on top of the thread
5. wrap with another layer of crochet thread in another direction
6. repeat one more or more times until the balloon is covered with thread
7. hang the balloon from the bottom thread to dry for about 24 hours
8. when fully dry, pop the balloon and gently pull it out of the thread
9. hang the giant egg from the ceiling or place it in a giant Easter basket

Egg Carton Cup Favor

This simple to do, attractive craft can be used at the dinner table as placeholders and favors. Your grandchildren will be so proud of themselves when the guests all ooh and ahh over them!

Materials:

• cardboard egg carton
• scissors
• green construction paper
• construction paper in various colors for flower petals
• clear glue sticks
• hot glue gun and sticks

Instructions:

1. cut 1 section from cardboard egg carton
2. scallop the edge with scissors
3. for a base, draw and cut out green leaves for back of flower
4. draw and cut long flower petals
5. glue the leaf section and glower together
6. glue the egg carton section to the middle of the base
7. line with crinkled tissue (optional)
8. fill with wrapped candies
9. write the name of a guest on the stem (optional)

Eggshell Mosaics

What do grandparents do with all those leftover egg shells after we make egg salad?  Grandparents and grandchildren can make lovely mosaics withe the colored shell pieces.

Materials:

• egg shells
• containers for separating the colors
• markers
• construction paper
• clear clue sticks

Instructions:

1. separate egg shell pieces into similar colors
2. place them in zip-loc bags and crush
3. draw a picture on a piece of paper or plan your collage
4. decide which colors you want to place where for your picture or collage
5. glue them on the paper

You can make a mosaic with an Easter theme. Save your work of art in a picture frame and use it as part of your Easter decorations.

Happy Easter from Nana’s Corner!