Reading
Easter Poems A cute poem that might inspire kids to write one of their own. This page also includes lyrics to the song Easter Bunny Soft and White
Writing
Writing Ideas:
Poetry Writing Resources
Different exercises
and ideas for ages K-8
Print Your own Lined Paper
(decorated with Happy Easter Bunnies) Lined Paper with Easter Basket
Spelling and Vocabulary Printables
Math
Egg Wrap (circumference, measurement & estimating) Here's a fun exercise in estimating that is also a craft project!
Math Sheets from Ed Helper.com
Easter Addition and Subtraction Worksheet
Science
Plant some seeds!
Buy an
assortment of seeds and potting soil. Reuse old butter or cool
whip tubs as pots (you could paint them with acrylic paints first,
if you wish). Have kids read the back of the seed
packets to see how deep to plant each type of seed, how much light
and water it requires, and how many days until germination and
maturity. Plant the seeds and label the containers with
the seed type and the date planted. Water the seeds.
Cover the containers with plastic wrap (you might need some rubber
bands to help secure it) to help keep the soil warm and speed up
germination. Place the seeds somewhere warm, and make sure
they have the proper amount of light once they sprout and begin to
grow.
All About Eggs
Kids know eggs
don't really come from bunnies. But few have stopped to
consider all the different kinds of animals that DO lay eggs, and
those that don't. Get yourself a copy of
Chickens Aren't the Only Ones,
and read it to your children. The illustrations are beautiful
and amazing, and the book ably communicates the diversity of
creatures that do lay eggs, from birds to insects to fish and
beyond. Even children as young as 3 will appreciate this book,
however you may need to paraphrase some of the text and focus on
discussing the pictures. They will still get the idea, and the
wonder. For even more egg-citing ideas, check out this page of Oviparous Animals lesson ideas. A nice page from Enchanted Learning with plenty of explanation and even diagrams. Includes printouts and worksheets.
Mixing Food Colors to Dye Eggs
History/Social Studies
From the History Channel. Read this overview and then read more and the Christian Origins and Pagan influences on the holiday. You can also watch this informative online video from the History Channel that includes the influence of the Jewish Passover celebration. A brief, very kid-friendly article that tells when the easter bunny and egg rolling became part of the holiday.
Songs & Games
Egg Toss
Traditionally this game is played
with raw eggs. However, preschool teachers or parents with
very young children, may wish to use boiled eggs to cut down on mess
and potential health hazards. We recommend you do not
use eggs the children have decorated as many will end up cracked or
smashed. (Unless your children are okay with this fact!)
Game play is as follows: divide the children into pairs
and give each pair one egg. Have each child take a large step
back from their partner. When the teacher (or other referee)
yells "go!", the partner holding the egg tosses it to his partner
who catches it.
Relay races Have children line up in teams. Divide each team in two, placing them team halves on opposite ends of the play area (playground, grass, living room rug). Now have them do silly races to get to and tag their team member on the other side. The tagged team member now races back to the opposite side and tags someone on that half of the team. Race ideas include: bunny hop (for greater difficulty, tie two children together at one ankle), egg carry (egg balanced on a spoon), duck waddle, fox trot (on all fours), "egg" roll (child lays on the ground and must roll across-- if mess is an issue, try rolling an actual egg instead), wheel barrow race (one child "walks" on his hands while his partner holds him up by his ankles), walk backwards, etc.
Bunny.... Bunny... FOX! This is just a dressed up version of "Duck, Duck, Goose". The child who is "it" walks around the circle gently touching each child on the head, and calling each one "bunny". At some point, and we don't know when, she names one child "fox!", and that child will leap up and chase the first child around the circle trying to catch her. If the first child can return to her seat in the circle before the "fox" gets her, she's "safe". If she gets tagged by the "fox" however she is either out of the game or has to continue being "it" -- depending on how you want to play. Be sure to use this opportunity to talk about nature and the food web and why real life foxes chase bunnies. Another way to play is "duck, duck BUNNY", where the "BUNNY" must hop to catch the one who tagged him, who must either waddle like a duck or hop like a bunny to get to their seat, depending on how you want to play. Great fun!
Art
These are a good
project for 1st through 5th graders, although it could be done with
younger children in very small groups or one-one. You'll need
black construction paper, glitter glue, pastels, and ... a bottle of
hairspray? Yes, actually. The hairspray helps "set" the
pastels so the art doesn't smudge so badly. Note that this is
a two day project. From A to Z Teacher Stuff. Hatching Chicks These make adorable little decorations! Simply take a broken egg that is clean and dry and glue in a yellow cotton ball so that it resembles a chick breaking out of it's eggshell. (You might want to pull and fluff the cotton ball a bit first, so your chick is larger and fluffier). Then cut a tiny diamond shape out of orange construction paper and fold it in half. Glue this on for a beak, then add two tiny googly eyes. If you want, you could even glue a tiny bit of eggshell on top of the chick's head.
Finger Print Chicks You'll need paper, yellow tempra paint that is washable and non-staining, some markers. Simply dip a finger tip in the yellow paint and then carefully press it to the paper. When it dries you can use a marker or ink pen to draw in the details. Or you could even glue on the eyes. This works with yellow ink pads too, but your fingers might stay yellow for a couple of days! Hint: you'll probably want to do a whole collection of chicks. In fact, you could use markers or colored pencils to draw a cute barnyard or garden picture to finger-paint your chicks onto. But don't use crayons for this -- the paint will not stick well to the waxy colors left by the crayons.
Sponge Painted Eggs Another fun way to decorate your eggs is to use acrylic paints, available at any craft store, and some torn up bits of natural sponge. You can have great fun by using pearlized acrylic paint or even fabric puff paints to achieve different looks. Because you can't eat the eggs once you've painted them, you might trying using the "Blown Eggs" described below. If this seems to hard, then you could substitute non-toxic tempra paints for the acrylic paints. Tempra paints, which are the type preschoolers use to finger paint with, will not give you the same durable, long-lasting coverage as acrylic. But if you're just going to be peeling and eating your eggs in a few days anyway... who cares! (Note if you eat your tempra painted eggs, be sure to rinse the peeled eggs before you eat them.)
Don't forget that you can color on your eggs with crayons before you dye them! You can draw a pretty picture with colored crayons, or....just use a white crayon to draw designs, flowers, bunnies, your name, religious symbols and phrases, or whatever else you can think of. Then, use a kit to make cups of egg dye and dip your eggs in. Like magic the white crayon work will appear against the colored background.
Blown Eggs For this craft you will need raw eggs and a large needle. Poke a hole in each end of the egg and then blow the raw egg out one end. You'll want to do this over a bowl with newspaper laid underneath! When you are done, rinse each egg in warm water and allow to dry. (Note that you might have to shake the water around in the egg a bit to get it really clean.) Now go wash your hands with soap and water! Raw eggs can carry salmonella, which can make you very sick. Then you are ready to dye or paint. You can make your eggs elegant by painting beautiful pictures on by hand or with a stencil and finishing them with a sprinkle of glitter. Or... you can make them silly by drawing goofy faces and adding googly eyes. To do more with these eggs, use a glue gun to attach a loop for hanging or some kind of stem (such as a fuzzy "pipe cleaner" wire). Don't worry if some of your eggs break; you can use them for the chick craft above.
Try Present by Family Fun, part of Disney online, these ideas will give egg decorating a fun new twist.
Learn about traditional Ukrainian egg art -- and then try making your own.
Paper Mache Eggs Blow up a balloon -- we recommend the sturdy type used for helium. Tie balloon shut and tie a string or sturdy ribbon over the knot, so that you will be able to hang your "eggs" when you are done. Now, make paper mache paste by mixing 1 cup water with 1/4 cup flour. Stir into 5 cups boiling water and boil for 2-3 more minutes. Let cool until just warm. While recipe is cooling, cut or tear old newspaper into 1 inch strips. Dip these into the paste one at a time and "glue" onto the balloon. Continue until balloon is cover. Allow first layer to dry before adding another. After balloon is well covered and has dried you can paint using either acrylic paints or tempra. When finished, sprinkle wet paint with glitter for an even prettier effect! Allow to dry. Try these classic Easter crafts: Easter placemat, bunny face mask, paper plate bunny, Easter bonnet, bunny ears to wear, eggshell mosaic, chicks in a basket, and more. There's even a recipe for "bird's nest" cupcakes. Here's a great mix of crafts, plus some printable worksheets. Assorted Spring Crafts from ChildFun
Lots of fun crafts with Spring themes plus songs
and snacks. Amazing Seedy Sponge Craft This craft calls for a natural sponge, a string to hang it with, and some birdseed that will turn the whole thing into a hanging garden. Tie a string around the sponge and then soak the sponge thoroughly in water. Remove and let drain; then poke seeds into the little holes and crevices of the sponge. Hang in sunlight. Make your own Easter Lilies! Unlike the kind you buy at the store, or grow in the garden, these don't need water or sunlight! Makes a great decoration or gift.
Here's a big collection of very simple Easter crafts, as well as a few songs and several games also. Shrinky Dinks at Easter & Passover You can use any of the coloring sheets below to trace a picture, cut it out, and bake it into Shrinky Dink art! You can make necklace pendants, bracelet charms, or decorations to hang up. Just remember to punch out any holes you need before you bake your project. Printable Coloring & Activity Pages
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101 Thematic Poems for Emergent Readers
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Crayon
Resist Easter Eggs
