Last-Minute Easter Egg Hacks For Illinois Parents

Did you forget to buy eggs for the kids to dye this Easter and now they're begging to do it? Here are some fun alternatives you can try.

Rethinking the Classic Egg Dye

Kids love dyeing Easter eggs, many parents do not, myself included.

The bright colors, the messy hands, the egg dye everywhere; it’s all part of the magic for kids, and a scene right out of a parent's nightmare. Then when the cleanup is finally over, you have to face a fridge full of eggs that no one is excited to eat.

Here comes the good news, parents. There are plenty of creative alternatives that deliver just as much Easter coloring fun, but way less waste.

Egg-Dying Alternatives

Here are some things you can have the kids color this Easter, that smell, and sometimes taste, way better than real eggs.

Marshmallows

Grab a bag of jumbo marshmallows, some food coloring, and let your kids go to town. I guarantee no one is going to complain about eating colorful marshmallows on Easter morning!

Potatoes

Start by boiling the potatoes with the skin on until they're soft. Then wrap a coffee filter around the potato, secure it at the top with a rubber band, and add a few drops of food coloring to the filter. Let the potato dry for around 15 minutes, then remove the filter to see your handiwork.

Wooden Eggs

One of the things I love most about coloring wooden eggs is that they don't require dye. Paint and markers work great on wooden eggs, and then you can keep them for many years to come.

Clay Eggs

Pick up some air-dry clay and let your kids make their own eggs, bunnies, chicks, or whatever else their creative minds can come up with. Once dry, they can paint and decorate them however they like.

Pasta Shells

Dry pasta shells are great for coloring and crafting. String them into necklaces, make bracelets, or create festive garlands to hang around the house.

DIY Plastic Easter Egg Garland

If your ideal Easter craft project stays far away from markers, paints, dyes, or anything else that makes messes, here's an easy project my kids love doing every year with plastic Easter eggs: