Earth Eggs: This is a fun way to decorate eggs with colors and patterns from nature.
To make the dye--Gold: the skins of 6 yellow onions, Blue: half a small red cabbage; Brown: 6 sliced beets. Add 2 Tablespoons of white vinegar and enough water to cover each ingredient.
Prepare the eggs--Center a flower or leaf on a 4 x 4-inch square of nylon stocking. Pull the corners tightly around a raw egg and use a twisty-tie to close. Check to see that the flower or leaf stayed flat.
Dyeing the eggs--Bring the water to a boil. Carefully lower the egg into the water. Simmer the eggs for 30 minutes. Let the eggs and dyes cool in the pans. Take the eggs out of the dye, remove the nylon and leaves, and pat the eggs dry. Rub on a little salad oil to shine them. Keep the eggs in the refrigerator until you are ready to hide them or give them away.
Pocket Sundial: The sundial is the oldest scientific instrument still in use. As the sun moves across the sky, the shadows it casts change their positions. This particular sundial is called a Shepherd's Dial. 1. With a nail or awl, make a small hole in the center top of a 4" piece of 1-inch dowel and screw the screw eye into it
2. Hammer a 1-inch wire nail lightly into the dowel about 1/2 inch from the top. Drive the nail in only far enough to hold it firmly.
3. Wrap a copy of the sundial graph around your dowel, with the top touching the nail, and tape over the marked edge. Don't let the tape touch the dowel (the graph should rotate freely).
4. Push a thumbtack into the dowel near the bottom of the graph to keep it from sliding down the dowel. Be careful that it doesn't go through the graph.
5. Tie a short piece of string to the screw eye.
6. The letters on the bottom of the graph represent the months of the year. Turn the graph on the dowel until the letter for the current month is directly below the nail. Stand with your back to the sun and hold your dial up by the string. Slowly rotate the entire dial until the shadow of the nail points straight down. The shadow of the head of the nail will indicate the time on the graph.
7. Before your sundial will work properly it must be adjusted for your latitude. Read the time on your sundial. Now, look at a clock and adjust the length of your nail until your dial reads the same time as the clock. Do this by slowly hammering the nail in until the dial reads correctly. Remember that during Daylight Savings you must add one hour to the reading to get the correct time.
