how to dye eggs with small children

I’ve been seeing a lot of tutorials posted around the web about how to make stunning and creative dyed eggs with your children.  I’m going to be perfectly honest – most of them are so elaborate and detailed that I don’t think any actual children were involved in the making of them.  And if you want to make a bunch of Martha Stewart-inspired eggs by yourself, that you artfully photograph and then post on twitter, well, knock yourself out.

There’s an ap for that!

If, however, you are like me and you have a handful of small kids and don’t want to get all Tiger Mom about what is supposed to be fun for the children, then here are some simple suggestions for you.
The first order of business is procuring the egg-dying kit.  This is really dependent on the developmental age of the child.  Here is a breakdown:

If your child is a toddler, skip the dye altogether.  Hand them a hard-boiled egg and let them peel it for a half hour.  The end.

If your child is preschool aged, there are two important questions to ask yourself:

1. Does this kit make white eggs a different color?
2. Wait, there is no number 2. Number 1 is all that matters.

If you child is school-aged, it gets a little tougher. They’ve likely been more exposed to consumerism and product promotion.  At this age, their dreams for dyed eggs probably involved some kind of character endorsement.  I know that growing up, my Easters were marred by the crushing disappointed that my mother refused to buy the kit that would allow me to put Jem’s face and logo all over the egg.

So, while the silked-dyed eggs and and leaf-rubbing transfer you saw on Real Simple may appeal to your own modern aesthetic, if you really want to help your child revel in the Glory of Easter, it’s probably going to involve a little more Spiderman and Dora and a little less stenciling and muted soy-based ink.

A few other random tips:

Costumes and sunglasses can make the event feel more festive.

So can a bottle of home brew.  (But keep your cup out of reach of the kids, so they don’t try to drink it.  Or drop an egg into it.  Trust me on this one).

Have your husband do that trick where he makes his arm transparent.  Kids love that one!