Fun Activities for Ostara (Spring Equinox) Celebrations

by MS Beltran

Eggshell Candles

Perfect for the ritual altar, these candles are easy to make and pretty to look at.

You Will Need:
Raw eggs
Wax beads
Birthday candles
Egg dye (optional)
Craft scissors
Knife

Tap the egg gently but firmly on the top, "pointed" end. Peel back a small section of shell and allow the egg to fall out. Try to keep the bottom 3/4 of the egg intact. Reserve the eggs for
recipes.

Rinse the inside of the eggshells very carefully with very hot water. Set them on a rack to dry.

If you like, take a craft scissor and trim around the broken edge, or break off pieces by hand for a more jagged look.

At this point, if you want to dye the egg shells, you can do so. Again, be careful with the delicate shells. Set them again on a rack or paper towel to dry.

Fill the candle ½ to 3/4 of the way with craft wax beads. Insert a birthday candle into the center for an easy wick. If necessary, trim off the bottom of the birthday candle so that it is even with the wax beads, or you can just let it burn down.

Set it in an egg holder or a candle holder where it fits snugly.

Mini Eggshell Planters

Another great craft for the ritual altar or to decorate a sunny windowsill, these little eggshell planters are perfect for the season.

You Will Need:
Carton of eggs
Growing medium
Cotton balls
Knife
Scissors
Plastic spoons
seeds
Egg Dye
Permanent Markers

Tap eggs on the top "pointed" end with the knife until they crack. Peel back a small section of shell and allow the egg to fall out. Try to keep the bottom 3/4 of the egg intact. Reserve the eggs for recipes.

Wash eggs carefully with hot water and rinse thoroughly. Set on a rack to dry. If you like, you can carefully trim around the edges of the egg with a craft scissors, or peel it back for a jagged look. Remember to keep about 3/4 of the egg intact.

If you like, at this point you can dye the egg shells carefully. Another cute option is to draw a face on the shell, so that the plants growing out look like hair. Just make sure your colors and decorations are dry before proceeding.

Place the egg shells back into their carton, open-side up. Put a cotton ball into each eggshell. Spoon some growing medium into the eggshells. This can be potting soil, soil-less potting mixture, or peat moss.

Sprinkle some grass or herb seeds onto the soil. Sprinkle with water to just moisten the soil, and dribble with a little water each day to keep it moist, but don't over-water. You can leave the eggs in their carton and set them right on a sunny windowsill.

Do this two to three weeks before Ostara if you would like to place the eggs on your altar. Transfer them to a basket with a grassy/cottony bedding and be careful not to tip them. Alternatively, place them into egg holders.

The plants will begin growing out of the top of the eggs. If you would like to transplant them into the garden or a bigger pot, just crack the egg first so the roots can push through. Then pop them right into the soil. The calcium in the egg shell will be good for them.

Seed Mosaic

This is a great way to use old seeds not suitable for planting. If you don't collect seeds, just post a request for them in your local chapter of free websites such as www.freecycle.org or www.craigslist.org, or ask some farmers at the local farmer's market if they have any.

You Will Need:
An assortment of seeds
Paper (blank or with a picture)
Extra paper to "catch" seeds
White craft glue
Paint brush
Cups or bowls

Sort the seeds into separate cups or dishes for easy use. Seeds come in so many different sizes, shapes and colors

Give the child a piece of plain craft paper, or give them a print out or coloring page so they can follow the image with their mosaic.

Show the child how to paint some white craft glue onto a section of their picture, and then sprinkle seeds onto the section. After a minute, tilt the page to allow the excess seeds to fall off onto a separate piece of paper. Return them to their proper bowl.

Seed mosaics can be as simple or elaborate as the child likes.

Paper Plate Spring Crown

Crown the little Spring Princes and Princesses for your holiday celebration.

You Will Need:
Paper Plate
Scissors
Compass or circle template
Ruler
Pencil
Green paint or magic markers
Decorations (stickers, foamies, pieces of paper cut-outs, glitter, ribbons)

Use a compass or circle template to draw a circle in the center of the plate, leaving approximately 1 ½ inches around all sides.

Use a ruler to make eight lines bisecting the circle evenly, meeting in the middle, sort of like a Wheel of the Year or wagon wheel. Use a scissor to cut the lines from the center of the plate towards the edge of the circle.

Bend up the triangles you've just created with the scissors to form the points on the "crown."

Allow children to paint the crown green, or color it with a green magic marker. If they wish, they can sprinkle glitter onto the wet paint. Allow the paint to dry.

Decorate the points of the crown with stick-on foamie shapes, stickers, or shapes the children cut out. Add ribbons if you like, hanging off the rim of the crown.

Sun/Moon Masks

At the equinox, night and day are in perfect balance. These fun masks remind us of that. They can be hung on the wall, or worn during revelry.

You Will Need:
One round 12" balloon
Strips of newspaper
2 tbsps white craft glue
1/4 cup all purpose flour
½ cup of water
Tempra paints
Paint brush
Paper plate
Scissors
Page reinforcers
Glitter (optional)
Ribbon
Cheap plastic table cloth or drop cloth

Mix the flour and water in an old disposable container until it has a glue-like consistency. Add two tablespoons of craft glue, which helps the paper mache stiffen better.

Blow a balloon up to be approximately the size of the child's head. Then make it just a little bigger. Tie it off to secure it.

Dip the newspaper into the glue mixture and layer it onto one half of the balloon. Do three to four layers overlapping each other. Make the mask oval-shaped, about the size of the child's face. Allow the paper mache to dry thoroughly before continuing.

Pop the balloon and remove it from the mask. Trim the edges around the mask to make them neat if you like.

Place the mask against the child's face and estimate where the eyes will be and gently make a mark with pencil or crayon. Also make marks about ½ inch from the side edges of the mask, just higher than the ears, on each side. These will be where the tie will go to tie it around the child's head.

Remove the mask from the child's face and cut out eye-holes with the scissor. Punch holes with a paper puncher (or poke through with a scissor) to make the holes for the ties. Put stick-on page reinforcers over the holes to strengthen them.

One half of the face will be the sun, the other half will be the moon. Cut a paper plate into triangles and glue them to the "sun" half of the mask with plain craft glue. Allow it to dry. This will look like the rays of the sun.

Paint the mask. Paint the sun half with reds, yellows and orange flaming colors. Paint the moon half with a silver or white. Sprinkle glitter on it and draw symbols or features. Let the child decorate the mask however he would like. Allow the mask to dry.

Thread the ribbon through the holes and tie it around the child's head, letting the holes rest on the child's ears.