Spring brings tulips, crocuses, daffodils and, of course, jellybeans, decorated eggs and the Easter Bunny. To many, these are symbols of Easter, as are Easter baskets.

There are so many ways to decorate eggs. The most popular way is to dip a hard-boiled egg into colored dye. Another way is to "blow-out" the egg and decorate the empty shell.

To decorate hard-boiled eggs, first place eggs in a single layer in a large pot. Cover with cold water and bring to a boil. Turn off heat and let sit for 11 minutes, then place eggs under cold water and refrigerate them until completely cooled. Now you are ready to dye the eggs. Make sure you cover your workspace with newspaper.

To dye a blown-out egg, poke a small hole in each end of a raw egg. Hold over the sink or a bowl and carefully blow out the liquid. Small children will need parental supervision, since eggs are very fragile. After the shell is empty, rinse off the egg and set aside to dry. After the shells are dry, you are ready to dye your eggs.

To decorate your eggs using food coloring, mix 1 teaspoon vinegar with 20 drops of food coloring. Add 1/2 cup hot water to the mixture and cool to room temperature before coloring your eggs. Using a large spoon, lower the egg into the cup of dye, completely covering it. The longer you leave the egg in the dye, the darker it will become.

For a tie-dye effect, wrap a rubber band around the egg prior to dipping. Children can write their names, using a light colored crayon, or wrap part of the egg in masking tape before dyeing. These will add design and dimension to the finished product. Let your children be creative. Encourage them to mix different colors together.

Another fun food craft for kids is a "jelly-bean nest," made up of melted butter, marshmallow and chow mein noodles.

Simply melt 1/4 cup butter, and 2 cups marshmallows over low heat. After marshmallows have melted, stir in 4 cups chow mein noodles. Press mixture into a 12-cup muffin pan and refrigerate until firm. Remove the "nest" from the muffin tins and fill with jellybeans.