NOT LIKE ANY OTHER EASTER EGGS

Sixth-graders were skeptical. Since when do you need bee's wax and a candle flame to dye eggs?

But an hour and a half later, the students at Franklin Elementary School were proudly polishing their finished Ukrainian eggs.

"I like it," said Chad Burton, admiring his shiny, purplish-blue egg. It included traditional Ukrainian designs of a deer, an evergreen and a fishing net, embedded in the rich colors.

Anna Rigdon decided her pale blue and pink egg turned out pretty good, but the process was unlike any Easter eggs she had ever dyed. "You have to use wax," she explained. "And you really had to be careful."

Friday's crash course in "pysanky" or Ukrainian egg art was offered by Barb Duncan, "the egg lady." Duncan works as part of Goals 2000, a grant project at Southeast Missouri State University. The program brings arts into schools at different grade levels and in various subject areas.

The lesson in "pysanky" was taught during Susan Lane's art class at Franklin. But students also learned a little about social studies and geography, and they learned a few Ukrainian words.

The sixth-graders also tested their science skills as they were cautioned against letting the carbon from the candle's flame stain their eggs. They learned a little about friction, and one student learned a tough lesson about gravity.

Duncan, who traveled to the Ukraine and learned the art, was undaunted by the notion of lighting 20 candles in a school library. Even when a raw egg hit the floor, she couldn't be shaken.

"Isn't that beautiful," she said, as an unbroken yolk wobbled on the floor. The youngster plucked the egg out of the goo, and Duncan patched it with wax.

"There are no mistakes in pysanky," she said.

As students built up different colors on the egg, the bee's wax protected some areas from changing colors.

At one quiet point, as students carefully applied wax to the eggs, a scratching sound was heard. Duncan called attention to the noise. In the Ukraine, she said, that scratchy sound of "pysanky" is considered a sign that all is well with the world.

When the eggs were complete, students melted the layers of wax off the eggs to reveal a finished piece of egg art.

"Melting the wax off was the toughest part," said Lindsey Beasley. "And we had to use fire. This is definitely very different."

Beasley decorated her egg with flowers, suns and crosses.

"This is an `I love you' present for my mom," she said.