Easter Egg Menagerie

By Elaine Marie Alphin

You will need: eggs, darning needle, small gumdrops, glue, cotton balls, scissors, egg dye, felt-tip pens, construction paper, thread stiffened with glue, paper.

1. For each animal gently make small hole in one end of raw egg with darning needle. Make slightly larger hole in other end. Pierce yolk if it’s still intact.

2. Hold egg over bowl and blow into smaller hole until contents of egg come out other end. (Save for cooking.)

3. Carefully slosh water inside shell to clean it; let dry.

Fluffy Lamb

1. Dye egg. Glue four gumdrops to egg for legs.

2. Coat egg with glue, then cover egg with cotton ball pieces.

3. Cut cotton ball in half and glue onto sides of head for ears. Glue another half cotton ball in place for tail.

4. Cut nose from gumdrop and glue onto face. Draw eyes, mouth, and cheeks with felt-tip pen.

Soaring Bird

1. Dye egg, then carefully poke hole with darning needle on each side of egg for wings, and, if necessary, enlarge hole in end for tail (see illustration).

2. Cut paper into three 3″ x 5″ (8 cm x 13 cm) pieces.

3. Fold paper into fine pleats lengthwise. Notch slightly 3/4″ (2 cm) from one end, then carefully work into holes as far as notches.

4. Cut beak from paper, and glue in place. Using felt-tip pen, draw eyes and cheeks.

Smiling Pig

1. Dye egg, then glue four gumdrops to egg for legs.

2. Cut gumdrop in half lengthwise and glue on head for ears.

3. Make nose and tail from gumdrops, then glue in place. Draw smile, cheeks, and eyes with felt-tip pen.

Funny Bunny

1. Dye egg. Cut two long ears from construction paper, and glue in place (see illustration).

2. Cut several short lengths of thread for whiskers, stick in gumdrop, and glue in place.

3. Draw facial features with felt-tip pen.

Illustrated by Robyn S. Officer