Sustainablity Tip: Plastic Eggs

So, Easter is over, and if your family is anything like mine, you've got a ton of plastic eggs floating around the house.  While families striving for sustainability would prefer something more natural, such as hard-boiled and dyed eggs or knitted or crochet wool, sometimes you end up with plastic eggs from community Easter egg hunts, church events, or from family Easters with those who don't follow sustainable habits.  In my house, there are usually more than a few eggs floating around.  Rather than toss them in the trash, here's an idea of what you can do to reuse those eggs!

There are eggs in all shapes and sizes these days, from absolutely tiny, to incredibly large.  These eggs have varying hardness levels, from your cheap dollar store special with thin walls that break easily, to seriously heavy duty shells that often come with packages containing specialty toys for the Easter season.  Whatever kind of plastic egg you have, here's a quick craft that will make use of those eggs, and provide a fun craft to your egg collecting kids!

Chick Shake!

What you need:
As many plastic Easter eggs as you would like to make
A variety of fillings (seeds, pebbles, sand, and beads all work really well to create different sounds)
Glue (craft glue works, but some may prefer something more hardcore.)
Craft paints
Glitter glue

What to do:

Fill each egg with a small amount of your filling.  Put a small amount of beads, sand, seeds, pebbles, or whatever it is you choose to fill your eggs so they are about a third of the way full.    Close your eggs and shake them to see how they sound.  You want to be careful when shaking them to be sure they don't open!  Adjust the amount and substance in each egg until you get a sound you like.

When you've gotten the sound you want, put a small amount of glue on the lip of the egg that overlaps to seal it.  I find it easier to put the glue on the outside of the inner lip.  Then I wipe off the excess glue with a rag.  Set the egg aside until the glue dries.

Once your egg is glued shut, take your craft paints and glitter glues to decorate the egg however you like!  Encourage children to make each of their eggs unique.  If your kids don't know what to paint, or aren't the imaginative sort, encourage them to paint something that reminds them of what they did on Easter or ask them who can come up with the most colorful pattern.  After all the painting is done, leave the eggs to dry.  If your kids have covered the eggs with a lot of paint or put it thickly on, you may want to let them dry overnight.

The end result?  You now have some cool musical shakers that have saved a little more plastic from ending up in a landfill!  Enjoy making music with your kids!