Make a Papier Mâché Easter Egg

In this fun Easter STEM activity for kids, students will learn how to use papier mâché and a balloon to make and decorate an Easter egg that they can use as part of their celebrations.

This activity is aimed at primary school students and could be used as a main lesson activity to teach learners about making techniques, design creativity and the use of colour, or part of a wider scheme of learning covering graphics-based techniques. There are also potential curriculum links with the Art department and STEAM based activities.

Activity: Using papier mâché to make and then decorate an egg

This is one of a set of resources designed to allow learners to use Easter themes to develop their knowledge and skills in Design and Technology and Mathematics. This resource focuses on making and decorating a papier mâché Easter egg with different coloured paints.

Follow this step-by-step guide to make your very own papier mâché Easter egg:

• Step 1 - Blow up the balloon. Tie it and put it into your plastic pot.
• Step 2 - Tear the newspaper into small pieces then prepare the wallpaper paste.
• Step 3 - Lightly coat the pieces of paper with wallpaper paste. Stick them over the balloon to cover it. Leave a gap at the bottom so the balloon can be removed.
• Step 4 - Wait until the papier mâché is completely dry. Apply a second layer of papier mâché and leave to dry.
• Step 5 - Carefully burst the balloon. Take the balloon out from inside the egg.
• Step 6 - Paint the egg with a background colour. Leave to dry.
• Step 7 - Decorate the egg with different colours and materials. Be as creative as possible!

Then ask 'What do you like about your egg?' and 'What could you improve?'

Download our free activity sheet below for more detailed instructions, teachers notes and optional extension work.

Tools/resources required

• A balloon
• Newspaper and white paper
• Wallpaper paste (flour and water or PVA glue can be used instead)
• A small plastic pot
• Scissors
• Different coloured paints and other materials for decorating, such as foam letters and card borders

Suggested learning outcomes

By the end of this Easter STEM challenge learners will be able to use papier mâché and a balloon to make an Easter egg model. They will also be able to use colour to decorate a papier mâché based egg and they will be able to show creativity when designing and making products.

The engineering context

Engineers make product models to test ideas and see how they will work. Papier mâché can be used to make 3D models. Its other applications include masks for the theatre, structures for carnival floats and even disposable fuel tanks for aircrafts!

Download the free Make a Papier Mâché Easter Egg activity sheet below!

All activity sheets and supporting resources are free to download, and all the documents are fully editable, so you can tailor them to your students’ and your schools’ needs.

The activity sheet includes teacher notes, guidance, useful web links, and links (where appropriate) to the national curriculum in each of the four devolved UK nations; England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales.

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