Color Easter Eggs with Candy, Jelly Beans and Marshmallows

Jelly bean Easter eggs anyone? Ok, so I made jelly bean water color paint the other day and decided to try out the same technique with a few hardboiled eggs. It didn’t go so well. That’s alright, plenty of my projects aren’t exactly Pinterest-worthy the first go around. I’d post one of the pics that I took of the eggs here, but honestly they weren’t anywhere near photo-ready. So, I started over.

 

I’ve never been a fan of using food in art. But, jelly beans aren’t exactly one of the major food groups (unless you happen to be Will Ferrell in ‘Elf’), so I didn’t feel horrible about not eating the candy. After my hips thanked me for using the candy to dye Easter eggs, I figured that I might as well try some other options.

For this artsy activity I used:

·        Jelly beans (I tried a second go-around, this time letting the egg soak much longer in a different color of bean)

·        Marshmallow Peeps

·        Hard candy

Not only is this a kind of creative alternative to regular ol’ Easter egg dye, but it’s also a great option if you don’t want the kids downing their entire Easter basket in one morning. You can also use ‘older’ candy. I’m not saying that I always shove the leftover holiday candy into the back of the cupboard in hopes that no one will see it and I’ll get to eat it all (and then forget about it). But, I may just have a secret, and almost-ancient, stash of candy canes, jelly beans and Halloween pumpkin-shaped sprinkles lurking in my pantry.

On to the egg-making…

What else do you need to make these Easter eggs? Along with the candy (and I suggest colorful candy), you’ll only need paper cups and water. Oh yeah, and the eggs.

Here’s What You’ll Do:

1. Hard-boil the eggs. Let them cool completely.

2. Prepare a few different cups, using a different candy or color in each one. We added blue hard candy, green jelly beans, a pink Peep, purple jelly beans and hard candy and red hard candy. Ask your child if he thinks he’ll see any difference between the candies (make the prediction before adding the eggs).

3. Add warm tap water to each cup. Stir the candy around, waiting until the color releases. Make a few observations, asking your child to describe what is happening and how the different candies mix or melt differently.

 

4. Place one egg into each cup.

 

5. Wait. I left the eggs in the cups for at least one hour. Experiment with yours, having your child check back often. When the eggs reach the desired colors, take them out and let them dry. Right now you may be noticing that the jelly bean eggs look speckled. Ask your child why the color isn’t solid (hint: The wax from the jelly beans sticks to the eggs).

 

6. Let the eggs dry.

 

Compare how each egg reacted to the different types of dyes (jelly beans, Peeps, hard candy). Line the eggs up and look for which ones are the brightest or which ones have more/less solid colors. Encourage your child to use more than just his sense of sight. Take a whiff and smell the candy-coated scents!

Are you looking for more kids’ Easter activities? Try our jelly bean water color art!

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Follow our Pinterest board for ideas!

 

Follow Mini Monets and Mommies's board Easter Crafts for Kids on Pinterest.