Using Dyed Easter Eggs after Easter

Easter is almost over, but what to do with the dyed eggs sitting around the house after?  Don't just toss them out!  Put those already-dyed eggs to good use for an art project.  This simple mosaic project will take 1/3 the time if you're using leftover dyed eggs.  

For our project, we made an Ancient Roman mosaic, but you can make any design you wish.  

How to Make an Ancient Mosaic from Eggshells

Supplies :

• Paper cups 
• Eggshells (save from a dozen or more eggs, wash them and let them dry out) 
• Water 
• Food coloring 
• Base for mosaic (at least 12"....I used the lid from a gallon of ice cream) 

Directions :

• After your eggshells have dried, break them into little bitty bits. 
• Put food coloring and water into paper cups. We used red, green, and blue. 
• Put the eggshells bits into the cups, cover them with coloring, and let them sit overnight. 
• Dump them out the next day and let them dry on newspaper. 
• Using the different colors, create your mosaic. 

Some tips:

• If you use different sides of the eggshell, you will get different shades of the same color. With red, I got red and pink, depending on which side I used. 
• If you're doing a circle shape, start with the outside and work your way in. 
• Save some of your eggshells so that you have the color white as an option.

Find more projects like this in 

Recycled History : Re-purposed Items for Hands-On Learning

Natural Food Coloring for Easter Eggs (and Other Projects!)

Each year, we use our own eggs for making dyed Easter eggs....and we also use natural products from our garden for dyeing them!   Why use all those chemical-laden dyes, when it's so simple to make your own?

You can use these natural dyes, not only for dyeing eggs, but for food coloring.  Since they are made from real food, they have the potential to change the flavor of what you are coloring, however, it has never been noticeable enough that my kids turn down the cupcakes with naturally-colored icing.  Green is probably the least-popular flavor, of all the colors...

A few notes...

• To use coloring for Easter eggs - mix powder with water and allow eggs to set in it overnight.  
• To use for food coloring - mix powder with icing until is smoothly blended.  Ice cake.
• If you just want to purchase natural food coloring, try one of these :
• Color Kitchen
• McCormick
• Watkins
• Food coloring will store for up to one year in an air-tight container.

Red / Pink

*Beets

Peel and slice beets very thinly.  Place on a dehydrator tray and dehydrate until crispy.  Cool.  Pulse in a food processor.  Use more coloring for red; less for pink.

Orange

*Carrots

Peel and slice carrots very thinly.  Place on a dehydrator tray and dehydrate until crispy.  Cool.  Pulse in a food processor.

Yellow

*Butternut Squash

Peel and slice squash very thinly.  Place on a dehydrator tray and dehydrate until crispy.  Cool.  Pulse in a food processor.

Green

*Spinach

Wash and then dry a bunch of spinach.  Remove stems.  Spread out on a dehydrator tray and dehydrate until crispy.  Cool.  Pulse in a food processor.

Blue

*Blueberries

Spread out well as you place on a dehydrator tray and dehydrate until crispy.  Cool.  Pulse in a food processor.

Brown

*Cocoa Powder

Mix cocoa powder with whatever you are dyeing.

More Easter Resources

• The History Behind Easter Traditions
• Using Dyed Easter Eggs after Easter
• Books to Celebrate the Spring Holidays

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FREE Packing Lists for Your Family Road Trip!

Just a year ago, traveling was our life....it's so hard to believe how much things can change in such a short span of time!  We spent nearly six years on the road, traveling around the United States and occasionally out of country, and I wouldn't trade a second of it.

If you ever have the chance to roadschool, or even take an extended vacation, jump at it.  The money spent on experiences creates memories, which can never be taken away.  It gives you a connection with your children that can't be beat!  You can find out more about How to Get Started Road-Schooling here.

In preparation for summer vacation, and for our one trip of 2019 (my gypsy soul is sad!), we're talking about efficiently packing your bags today....with some free printables to get you out the door faster!

Packing for a road trip is a great opportunity to get the kids involved and teach some responsibility.  Even kids as young as two or three can help with counting and sorting!

Our older children take responsibility for their own wardrobe and entertainment, using these packing lists as a guide.  This is not to say that I won't double-check behind them - because I often do - but they don't know that.

Each child gets half a suitcase along with a personal carry-bag.  The carry-bag totes toys, books, and other activities to keep them occupied on the road.  We've never tolerated "are we there yet?"  Typically, one of the activities in their carry-bag is a US map, which they use to record our route and various stops along the way.  It makes a nice, visual journal for later, and as a bonus, they're learning geography!

With these checklists, packing is a breeze....I don't worry about forgetting something, they're learning to gear up and take some responsibility for their belongings, and we all start the vacation in stress-free mode!

Pick up your free printable packing lists today!

Teaching Science with Nick & Tesla : High-Voltage Danger Lab

Anytime a fun book can educate my son through the plot, it gets two thumbs up!  We stumbled upon the Nick & Tesla series last year, and have been enjoying reading through them and learning all about science....and this is why they are our newest addition to the Hi-Lo Book Club!

The series features twins, Nick and Tesla, who live with their inventor uncle.  They tinker around, invent things, and play with science, all while dealing with kidnappings, mysterious neighbors, and some scary dogs.  These are mystery books mixed with science experiments, and they're a hit for student and teacher alike!

Written by 'Science Bob,' the six books in the series incorporate hands-on experiments that are similar to what the characters are doing in the stories.  The pages are visually appealing, and I like how the experiment sections are color-coded, making them easy to find.  The chapters are short and written at a middle-school reading level, but they're fast-paced and will keep you wanting to know what happens next!

Be sure to download the Free Lab Notebook to accompany this series!

High Voltage Danger Lab (Book 1 of 6)
Nick and Tesla are bright 11-year-old siblings with a knack for science, electronics, and getting into trouble. When their parents mysteriously vanish, they’re sent to live with their Uncle Newt, a brilliant inventor who engineers top-secret gadgets for a classified government agency. It’s not long before Nick and Tesla are embarking on adventures of their own—engineering all kinds of outrageous MacGyverish contraptions to save their skin: 9-volt burglar alarms, electromagnets, mobile tracking devices, and more. 

Define

• Battery
• Charging
• Circuit
• Eccentric
• Electricity
• Electric
• Electrical current
• Electron
• Feral
• Luminous
• Positive charge
• Negative charge
• Quizzically
• Scurried

Experiment

• Experiment Equipment List
• SnapCircuits Beginner's Kit
• SnapCircuits Electronics Exploration Kit
• Free Lab Notebook

Document - Use your Free Lab Notebook for these!

• Evaluate one of the research projects.
• Draw a map of the neighborhood, and keep track of the SUV's appearance on the lines below.
• Research Nikola Tesla, and write a short biography.

Think

• What is a zero-g environment? What are black holes?
• What are black lights? How do they work? What are they used for today?
• What could you build with batteries, old wire, and nails?

Access all of the science studies in the Science-Based Novel Studies Bundle!

Includes nine novel studies covering science-based topics. Each novel addresses a new topic, primarily falling into STEM, technology, and modern science.

• Each unit has introductory text, which will give the student basic background information about the topic at hand.
• There are photographs and illustrations, and we have also included primary documents when available.
• After this text, there are featured videos, which augment the background information and help make the topic more accessible for more visual students.
• You will also find a short list of reading books, including one featured novel – the spine of the unit.
• There are vocabulary words, places, and people to identify.
• Reading comprehension, critical thinking questions, and writing assignments are included.
• We add fun with hands-on activities and extra videos to watch that will bring the era to life.
• Some units also have cooking projects.

Product Samples – Fever 1793 & Nick and Tesla: High Voltage Danger Lab

These studies are directed toward upper grades students, but some have resources for younger students so that the whole family can work together. Our family has used unit studies as curriculum for many years, and we hope that your family will enjoy these, too!