How to dye marbled Easter eggs with onion peels
This is a simple project that young children can do and will still thrill the teens. I have done it will my boys' school classes and special needs kids. It's simple, exciting, and makes a great visual science experiment any time of the year!
My Grandmother's Grandmother did this in Germany and brought the tradition to the U.S. My Grandmother has taught this to me and I just hope others can enjoy this easy craft with their children.
- Difficulty:
- Easy
Instructions
Things You'll Need
- Raw eggs
- Large pot of boiling water
- Squares of lightweight cloth about 12" x 12" (one for each egg)
- Twist ties or string (one for each egg)
- Onion peels, the dried outer layers that fall off into the bins at the store. Most stores are happy to give these away free if you are willing to just dig them out. :)
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1
Bring a big pot of water to a boil on the stove. I have learned the hard way that a hot plate will not work for this inside a classroom, so take the fun to the cafeteria.
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2
Lay out your piece of cloth flat, or nest it inside a bowl. Tear a hand full of peels into small pieces and make a next on your cloth. The smaller the pieces, the more marbling effect you will get on your final egg. This makes a great time to talk to the kids about the birds making nests for their own eggs.
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3
Place a raw egg in the nest of peels, draw up the edges of the cloth, and tie it shut. Make your pouch as tight around the egg as you can, but it doesn't have to be perfect. Tighter pouches make more defined marbling and intensifies the color. If the kids leave the pouches loose they will still get a great effect. I use this time to explain to the kids how there are oils in the onion peel that transfer onto the porous eggs shell because of the heat of the water.
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4
Place the egg/onion peel pouches into the boiling water gently and allow them to cook about 10 to 15 minutes. This will cook your egg to a hard boil while coloring them at the same time. If I am working with a class this is the time I bring out the coloring sheets and talk about what they will do over the holiday.
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5
After 10 to 15 minutes of boiling carefully pull out the pouches with tongs or a large spoon. Allow them to cool enough that you can untie them and remove the peels with the cloth. I usually bring up one child at a time so they can see their eggs revealed while I handle the hot egg.
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1
Tips & Warnings
If the eggs are going to take a ride home with the child it's best to have Easter grass or newspaper to wrap them in and a bag to keep them safe.
Allow time for the eggs to cool before the kids handle them. Eggs cool slowly and kids are curious!
Don't plan on using a hot plate to boil water. It doesn't get hot enough. This really needs to be done at the stove with BOILING water.
This project works with yellow or red onion peels. We have even combined them to make some very interesting marbling! :)
WATER AND EGGS WILL BE HOT! :)
