Pysanka

Ukrainian Easter Eggs are a wonderful springtime tradition dating back hundreds of years. When my 17 year old son was in elementary school, I used to bring in my eggs and demonstrate the process to the children in his grade. I always brought some of my eggs to pass around to the kids, along with the tools and some resources.

I loved that the teachers and some parents were also interested, but my true joy came from seeing the delight on the children's faces as they could look closely at these delicate little treasures as they gingerly passed the eggs around. Remarkably, very few were broken in those many demonstrations...

When my youngest child entered Brewster school, I was once again asked to share my eggs and last year, was honored to be a visiting artist as part of their One World Celebration in their MAGIC progam (Music & Art Grow in Children integrated art program). Here's a link to my photo slide-set from that event.

I thought it would be fun to set up a page about the eggs, how to do them and where you can get the tools needed... I will try to add to this page over the next few weeks to show the process but for now, here is a link to the Ukrainian Gift Shop. This is where I purchase most of my supplies from.

For those of you who live in Connecticut, many toy and craft stores are now stocking kits that have everything you need to make your own pysanky. If you live near Middletown or New Britain, Amato's Toy Store has kits and supplies. The kits have everything you need to get started except, of course, the eggs... (you'll also need a little white vinegar, some jars for the dye, a candle and time to relax and create)...