The Easter Egg by Jan Brett is a beloved children’s Easter Story. The heartwarming tale of Hoppi’s quest to make the “perfect” Easter Egg will delight children of all ages. Parents and teachers will love the message of “giving” and “gratitude” as we lead our children to the real meaning of Easter.
Extension Activities for The Easter Egg by Jan Brett
WIKKI STIX© Easter Eggs
Materials needed – hard boiled eggs (dyed or left white), Wikki Stix, and scissors.
Wikki Stix© make the perfect Easter Egg decorations for small fingers. The Wikki Stix© stick to the eggs without glue or other adhesives. Have the children cut the Wikki Stix© to the length they wish to use. Gently press the Wikki Stix© to the egg. The children can create many different patterns, shapes, or faces to make their own beautiful Easter Eggs (and practice fine motor skills along the way!)
Rubber Band Easter Egg Patterns
Materials needed: hard-boiled eggs, natural egg dyes or food coloring, white vinegar, cups, spoons, and rubber bands.
Fill each coloring cup with water until it is 1/2 to 2/3 full. Add one tsp. of vinegar and drops of food coloring until the desired color is reached. Stir carefully with a spoon to distribute the color and set the cups aside. Demonstrate for the children how to carefully place the rubber band(s) around the hard-boiled egg. After the bands are in place, dye the eggs (with bands on) in the coloring cups. Let the eggs dry thoroughly before removing the bands. Experiment with different rubber band patterns on the eggs. The patterns left by the rubber bands are always amazing for the children to see!
The B-U-N-N-Y Song (to the tune of “B-I-N-G-O)
There is a BUNNY in our neighborhood,
Delivering Easter baskets,
B-U-N-N-Y
B-U-N-N-Y
B-U-N-N-Y
And BUNNY is his name-O!!
~Author Unknown
OVIPAROUS or VIVIPAROUS Does it come from an EGG
Explain the following terms to the children: oviparous (comes from EGGS) and viviparous (does NOT come from EGGS).
Brainstorm with the children animals/reptiles etc. that they think come from eggs. Make a chart with the names of all of the animals/reptiles. Help the children do “research” online, through the library, or send home this “Parent Letter” (Does it come from an EGG Parent Letter) to aid the children in their “discoveries.” The cards in the file linked above can be used in several ways: 1) to “assign” an animal/reptile to each of the children to discover; 2) write oviparous and viviparous in TWO columns on a plain sheet of paper – have the children cut out the cards and then glue onto the appropriate column; or 3) have the children play a card game where they draw a card, look at the picture, and then tell whether it comes from an egg or not.
Easter Bunny Hunt and Telescopes
Have the children decorate toilet paper rolls or paper towel rolls. We used collage materials, glitter glue, and washable markers. Tell the children you are going on a HUNT outside to find the Easter Bunny. Take the decorated telescopes and LOOK around. Tell the children to find two things with their telescopes that they can share with the other children after your HUNT. Things to ask after you return inside: Did you SEE a bunny? What colors did you see? Do the trees have buds yet? Did you see birds, sticks, grass? Let the children share.
We hope YOUR children enjoy the book and extension activities as much as ours do! For more Easter activities, see the Easter Thematic Unit at: The Preschool Toolbox!
