MAMA Children’s Activity Post: “Hoppy Easter, enjoy the MAMA Egg-stravaganza”!!

With Easter rapidly approaching we decided to get into all things Easter Eggs and Bunnies – in a messy way of course! We were lucky enough to be sent some lovely Easter-themed art supplies by Granny and we were eager to try them out!

Equipment;

For the Painting bit;

– Activity mat/old towel.
– Old clothes/aprons.
– Different coloured paints (water-based, non toxic).
– Pre-made 3D card Easter eggs.
– Shoe box.
– Sticky tape.
– Pots to use as egg cups/stands (I had an old kiwi fruit holder which was perfect).
– Paint brushes.
– Sheets of card.
– Bunny shaped card/decorations.
– Wipes.

For the decoration bit;

– PVA glue.
– Pot for glue.
– Brush.
– Felt tip pens/permanent markers.
– Easter themed stickers.
– Googley eyes (I used double sided sticky tape on the back so it was easier for my son to then stick on).

For Displaying;

– Easter Basket.
– Easter grass/shredded paper.
– Easter chicks.

Step 1: Preparation.

I set this activity up on the floor as I felt it gave more room for the squeezing of paint and experimenting afterwards but you could do it at the table if you prefer. Put the activity mat and towels on the floor, set out your paints, shoe box, 3D card Easter eggs and sticky tape.

Step 2: Squeezing & Shaking!

Firstly my son chose different coloured paints and squeezed them into the shoe box one at a time. He then dropped one of the 3D card Easter eggs into the box and rolled it around a bit.

We then taped the lid on and he shook the shoe box in all directions! We had a bit of music on in the background so it turned into a bit of a dance party! We then opened the box to find a painted egg – now the first time we did this I think we may have shaken the box a bit too much as it had turned into more of an overall brown colour rather than vibrant marbled colours. So for our second attempt we didn’t shake as long and the colours looked more marbled and vibrant! (We wiped down the box in between attempts).

With our third egg my son wanted to squeeze paint straight onto it rather than shaking again. This was nice and messy. He then created some lovely patterns by using a paint brush to mix the layers in a bit! We also decided to liven up our first brownish ‘shaken egg’ by squeezing some more paint onto it as well -this worked really nicely and as it gave it a brighter appearance. So the lesson learnt form this activity was if in doubt add more paint!!

Step 3: Experimenting time!

In our parcel of supplies from Granny we had some little card rabbit cut outs and we’d also bought a little wooden rabbit decoration. As there was lots of nice marbled paint left in the shoe box we did some printing onto the card rabbits and painting onto the wooden decoration. My son also enjoyed mixing all the left over paint into a big painty mess!

Step 4: Tidy, tidy, tidy up!

We put out painted eggs onto little pots/cardboard trays and the card rabbits onto pieces of coloured card to dry. I hung the wooden decoration up as it was painted on both sides!

All reusable items were then out into soak, excess paint wiped up and then it was bath time! I cleaned everything properly later on.

With regards to the eggs once dried at one end I turned them over so the other side could dry too and not stick to the pots.

Step 5: Decoration time.

With the ‘shaken’ and painted Easter eggs I put on a layer of PVA glue to the top half, then let this dry, turned it over and did the bottom half. This gave them a shiny appearance. I then displayed them with some ‘Easter grass’ and baby chicks in a basket as our easter table centre piece.

With the card rabbits we used felt tip pens/permanent markers, googley eyes and Easter themed stickers to produce a lovely Easter picture to display as well as Easter cards to send to family.

We also decorated our wooden decoration with google eyes and wrote “SOME BUNNY LOVES YOU” onto his tummy. He has then been displayed proudly in the living room!

We hope you all have a very Happy Easter and enjoy getting messy and making memories!!!Please share any MAMA activities you get up to and don’t forget to follow us on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook!!