Egg-ceptional Fun!

It has been a long time since I last colored Easter eggs, but with the right combination of things it’s still a lot of fun!

Ingredients

5 kids, ages 2 to 6

5 plastic lobster bibs (because the kids, ages 2 to 6, are kids)

5 egg coloring helpers (a/k/a kids at heart)

1 plastic tablecloth (because kids and kids at heart tend to be messy)

3 dozen hard-boiled eggs

3 Easter egg decorating kits (1 would likely suffice)

6 coffee mugs

vinegar

Method

Fill each coffee mug with warm water

Add 3 tablespoons of vinegar to each mug

Six-year-old (holding nose): “What does that taste like?”

Assure six-year-old that vinegar does not taste as bad as it smells

Devious kid at heart: “Go ahead. Stick your finger in it and try it!”

Dissolve a color tablet in each mug; it helps to color coordinate the tablets with the mugs to remember which is which (kids at heart are prone to forgetfulness)

Give each kid a hard-boiled egg

Wide-eyed three-year-old (pointing to egg): “Is there a baby chick in there?”

Give each kid a mug of dye

Remove mug from hands of two-year-old attempting to drink blue dye

Slowly lower egg into dye

Promise sobbing five-year-old you’ll remember to write his name on the next egg BEFORE you dip it into the dye

Keep egg submerged in dye for three minutes (note: this equates to three hours in kid time)

Take cover when kid removes egg from mug to check color and plops it back into dye

When egg color is finally acceptable to discerning four-year-old, removed from dye and dripping on table, THEN remember to create egg-drying stands by punching out perforated holes from box

Repeat seven times

Try to figure out what in the heck you’re going to do with three dozen colored Easter eggs!