Hatchimas DIY

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We all know how hard it is to get our hand on an actual Hatchimal, so I decided to take things into my own hand, literally!

I knew I could come up with a simple solution to this dilemma. I wanted my kids to experience the joy of having a hatchimal and since there is not one to be found anywhere in lower Manhattan and they are a fortune online, so I thought I could make this myself! And you can too. It is this simple...

What you'll need:

  • Flour
  • Water
  • Bowl
  • Plastic wrap & tin foil
  • Newspaper cut into strips
  • Paint Brush
  • Plastic egg or oval shaped object to use as your base to form the egg shape
  • Stuff to put inside the egg (your choice, be creative!)
  • Hot glue gun or masking tape
  • Paint

How to make it:

  • Make the plaster by using equal parts flour to water in a large bowl (1:1 ratio)
  • Take your egg or oval shaped object (cut into two halves) and cover the top half with plastic wrap and the bottom half with tin foil (you will need a center seem and two parts to make this correctly)
  • Dip your newspaper stripes into the flour mixture to coat
  • Start layering the pieces to cover the entire top and lower halves separately
  • Let dry over night
  • Gently remove the hardened pieces from the base
  • Carefully pull out the plastic liner on the top half and leave the tin foil in the base  (this will give your egg structure to hold the items you will be putting inside!
  • Place your surprise items inside (I recommend using a stuffed animal and small candies and treats, my kids are currently obsessed with Pokemon cards, so I added those as well!)
  • Either hot glue or tape the top and bottom pieces together (I had a hard time getting the tape to stick so I used the hot glue gun)
  • Cover seams using a few more pieces of newspaper and the plaster mixture
  • Use a thicker version the mixture (2:1 ration flour to water) to fill in any openings & gaps along the seem. Make it the consistency of a paste or puddy, then use that to fill in gaps before covering with newspaper and the looser (1:1 ratio consistency) 
  • Let dry completely (overnight) before painting 

Then, let the kids enjoy hammering the egg open to find their surprises! My kids helped me make the egg and knew what what was inside but that didn't stop them from having a blast with destroying the egg and finding the items inside!