The Empowered Educator

Inspiring ideas, training and resources for early learning.

Eggshell Exploration….

by 11 Comments

Earlier in the week i got busy freezing eggs and had a bowlful of shells left that i wanted to ‘recycle'. I often crush them finely to feed back to the hens as a diet supplement or scatter among the vegetable garden to deter the cabbage moths….but this time i wanted to get a little more creative and use them for the toddler twosome to have fun with!

I started off with this pile of shells and crushed them a little with a potato masher….
I then made up 4 containers of water dye (using edicol powder and water, you could also use food colouring)…..
and divided the shells up between them…making sure they were fully submerged…..
after half an hour (it really doesn't matter how long you leave them) i strained them and turned them onto a tray of newspaper to dry out in the sun…..
 I decided to also dye some pasta while my hands were odd colours! (don't worry, edicol dye washes off easily with soap and a good scrub!)
The next day it was time for gluing fun! Brushes are Tara's favourite tool now…..
 But Ruby still prefers to fingerpaint…..even with glue!
So much fun to choose coloured shells and stick on the paper in whatever way you choose….
 Now this is a puzzle…it sticks to my fingers for some reason…Tara had to think about this for awhile….
 Then worked out she could scrape her fingers on the paper and most would come off…i loved watching this problem solving in action!
The paint on her fingers isn't from the eggshells so don't worry that that will occur…it was from that morning's water painting activity with the leftover dye…all washed out in the bath i promise!
There…that's much better, i can pick these few bits off…..they are crunchy and yet slippery…
On the other hand….my cautious twin took her time and placed a few shells here and there…..not wanting to pick up large clumps…fascinating how different they are!
using the brush to spread the shells around again…..
 Ruby decided to wipe hers clean with fingerpainting action…see the colour coming off the shells into the glue a little…she was fascinated by this and kept trying to ‘create' colours…..
 Tara in her element…..pure fun and discovery here….
To extend the activity i stuck some scrap paper over the top of the glued shells and gave them crayons to draw with…..as they drew over the paper it crackled and crunched and became a whole new experience!

This was messy, sensory fun for toddlers at it's best….yes they made a mess as the shells stuck to everything once the glue was down but what fun i had watching them think and problem solve and explore the totally different texture of the eggshells. I also love to watch the different ways each twin approaches craft and what ‘fun' means to them alone.

Obviously older children would enjoy doing a lot more with the colourful eggshells but my toddler twosome created their own individual masterpieces and it all started with our lovely chickens laying their many eggs for us. I like the fact that the girls help each day to collect the eggs and they already know that eggs come from chickens and after watching me crush the shells they now also know that we can do more with them!

Colour added to everyday items can open a whole new world to children….as can leaving things in their natural state which i also love to explore…..but it's fun to have a bit of both don't you think?

Have you had fun with dye recently or had fun with crushed eggshells? Would love to hear your ideas!

Thanks so much for stopping by….

Comments

  1. The Monko says

    that is a brilliant idea. It must feel so nice crushing the egg shells. My son also finger paints with the glue. I will definitely be trying this (especially as my mother in law keeps chickens so we always have eggs on tap)

    Reply

  3. Tammi says

    Oh Jode,
    I really do love the activities you do with your littlies, I am hoping now that I have more time up my sleeve to incorporate more of this into my little ones day )
    x

    Reply

  4. Gooseberry Jam says

    Jode, You certainly keep your little ones entertained! Your full of wonderful ideas…I like this eggshell one, I might take that one along to playgroup! We’ve always got lots of eggs shells around here. I tried to dye pasta once and it got too soggy and stuck to the paper when it dried, how did yours turn out! A friend of mine actually sprays her pasta with a mix of metho and colouring, apparently the metho dries quickly only leaving the colour on the pasta and the alcohol evaporates! I’ve never actually tried it, I probably should! Enjoy your day!

    Reply

  6. Catherine says

    That looks like so much fun Jode. I do miss doing these crafty activities with the girls. Your girls are very lucky to have you, you know. x

    Reply

  9. Super Kayles says

    How old were your twins when they used the dyed egg shells? I have a 15 month old, but she still puts everything in her mouth! I think it might be fun for her 2 year old cousin though x

    Reply

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