So... for nearly 30 years, I have been making shakers from plastic Easter eggs. They are inexpensive, brightly colored, washable, and easy for little hands to hold. Great for a variety of songs and activities. For almost as many years I have sealed them using hot glue, and the bond has been stronger than the egg! But over the last five years or so, I noticed they eggs have been coming apart- as if they weren't even glued! I also noticed the plastic is thinner (so bends when you squeeze it), and has an "oilier" surface. Hmmm. This has been a problem, as I use my shakers a lot and even at large concerts. So... after much experimentation and research, here is what I have found...
I finally took a plastic egg to Tap Plastics, as they specialize in fabricating all kinds of plastic things. They actually did a test on the egg, and determined that it is made from one of only a few un-glue-able surfaces! It can't be glued! How unthinkable is that?
So, I have have only two solutions for you and me. Easiest is to use tape. You have several choices. I don't use scotch tape, because it's the tackiest looking and gets brittle and grungy quickly. A better choice is "repair" tape, a heavier pliable plastic tape available at office supply stores. I noticed in researching for this post, that Staples now carries a line of VERY fun designer duct tape! It comes in zebra print, and a variety of tie die colors. So you could use zebra print for all of the eggs, or get a roll of each tie die color to match the plastic eggs. Since duct tape is so wide, you'll want to cut strips into one-inch pieces before sealing the eggs. You can place strips of duct tape on wax paper to back them, allowing you to easily cut strips without getting yourself into a big old sticky mess! Then just peel off each one-inch strip and apply it to the egg.
The other way to seal the eggs (which my wonderful artist friend Frank Sunseri came up with) is with a soldering iron. Be sure to do this in a well-ventilated space! Gently press the tip of the soldering iron just below the seam of the egg where it will melt together both halves (you'll end up with a tiny indentation). Do this at about 1-inch intervals around the egg. It also tends to firm up that middle of the egg making it harder for children to "pop" it open.
You many wonder at this point why you shouln't just purchased egg shakers from music stores and forget trying to make them. I personally have three reasons to keep making my own.
1. Homemade are way cheaper, and since I do so many concerts and always lose a few, it just makes more sense.
2. Easter egg colors are much brighter and more fun than the rather dull primary-colored purchased ones.
3.I had a purchased one open once, and saw it was filled with an unidentified substance that looked like some kind of hard plastic bead. When I make my own shakers, I know what's in them- rice. I don't want to risk having unidentified objects being ingested by little mouths.
So now that you have a bit more information, you can decide whether or not you want to make your own shaker eggs. Whichever way you go, plastic egg shakers are a must if you make music with young children! Visit my website for songs and activities to use.
www.nancymusic.com.
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