Plastic Egg Fun!

For weeks we have been counting the days until the official start of Spring.  

And, today is the day!

Spring is a time of fresh new beginnings.

Baby animals and birds are being born.

Plants poke their heads up through the ground after a long Winter's nap. 

They shed their warm coats, opening up their buds to unfurl leaves

and blossom into delights for our senses. 

For the Christian faith, Easter eggs symbolize the empty tomb of Jesus, reminding them that

He rose from the grave and those that believe will also experience eternal life.

Eggs are a symbol of new life and a new beginning, no matter what your faith.

The stores are filled with eggs of every color, pattern and type. 

A favorite is the plastic egg. 

www.sdoople.info

For years I would buy dozens of the colorful plastic Easter eggs after the holiday to provide supplies for the many activities you can do with them. 

A favorite plastic egg activity at our house was making cardboard tube rockets. 

Half of an egg was the nose on the rocket.  

This activity took months to perfect by my second grader, so it will not be introduced today.

Below you will find many other fun, educational, quick, easy activities for you to create with plastic eggs that will help you interact with your child.

Remember safety is always a priority!

Play with your child 

Always supervise activities

Adapt activities to your child(ren)s age and stage of development.

EGGCITING ACTIVITES USING PLASTIC EGGS  

Sensory Play

Fill a container with a sensory material of your choice.

Container ideas:  plastic dish pan, cooking pot or deep pan, large plastic storage container,

                            wheelbarrow, bucket, etc.

Sensory Material ideas:  sand, packing peanuts, rice, beans, etc.

Hide the eggs and then let your toddler/preschool child go on an egg hunt.

www.brennaphillips.com

Family Interaction/Memory Makers

DAILY MESSAGE EGGS

Fill a basket with colorful plastic eggs.  Inside each egg write a note or message to your child and
or spouse.  Each day pick an egg and read the message

SURPRISE MESSAGE EGGS

Fill eggs with messages.  Hide the eggs under pillows, in the corner of the couch, in a glass or
mug, on a dinner plate, inside the dinner napkin, inside a book bag, on the seat of the car, on the  desk, in a kitchen or bathroom drawer,  etc.

Be creative!  Think about the places that will be seen each day.

      Example messages:  You are loved.
                                        Thinking of you.
                                         You are eggstra special.
                                         You light up my world.
                                         It is eggciting to spend time with you
                                         You are eggstrodinary!
                                         You are a great eggsample to your brothers and sisters

Get creative with your messages and let your loved one know you are thinking about them.
Have a basket in the kitchen or living room to collect the eggs at the end of the day. 
Talk about when the egg was found and how they felt after finding and reading the message.

Give everyone in the house a half a dozen eggs to fill with messages.  Let each person hide their message eggs where ever they want.  Talk about the egg hunt at the end of each day.  If you want add a treat too!

www.adventuresincreating.blogspot.com

    

COUPON EGGS

Buy a dozen different color eggs for each child.  You can color code them if you want.  Example:  Susie gets pink eggs, Joey gets green, Henry has orange eggs and so on.  Place a redeemable coupon inside each egg.  Make your own coupons (hand written or designed on the computer).

     Coupon ideas:     one bear hug from Mom, Dad, etc.
                                 one giant family hug
                                 free smile
                                 a story read to you by Mom, Dad, etc.
                                 a trip to the library or park for everyone
                                 your favorite dinner or dessert prepared
                                 play your favorite board or card game with family
                                 one coloring session
                                 one extra reading session or an extra book read at bed time
                                a family bicycle ride

As you conduct your annual Easter egg hunt include these coupon eggs.  The kids will be eggcited!  It will add a twist to the annual tradition and continue to provide family interaction and fun for weeks to come.

www.m.pinterest.com

                      
STORY STARTER EGGS

Place one small toy or item in several eggs then put them in a basket or empty egg carton. Choose an egg, discover the item inside and then create a story about that item.  One person can make up the story or you can take turns adding to the story one sentence at a time.  You will be amazed at the twists and turns and unexpected plots that will be hatched.

Or, use these eggs as a memory game.  What's inside or underneath?


www.dirtandboogers.com

www.tipjunkie.com



CRACKED EGGS

Use a cookie cutter to create an egg pattern.  Cut out eggs from any resource available to you.  Examples:  left over wall paper, wall paper sample books, construction paper, card stock, empty food boxes, wrapping paper etc. 

After making the number of eggs you would like, cut each egg into two separate pieces.  Do not make the cuts the same.  Change the shape and style of the "crack" in the egg. 

Children will improve their visual skills and have fun putting the cracked eggs back together. 

  Store your game in a creative container. 

Keep this in mind as you shop after Easter sales

or before you throw away a container from an Easter item.

EGG MATCH

Using the same egg pattern and materials from the activity above, cut out 2 eggs that match.  If using wrapping paper or wall paper be sure to  match up the pattern each time in the same spot before cutting, to create two eggs that are identical.

Smaller children can match pairs, older children can play a lotto game.  This will aid in memory and visual discrimination skills.

COLOR IDENTIFICATION EGGS

Write the color of the plastic egg on the outside of the egg.  Then take turns finding all the orange, or blue, etc.  Make baskets of different color eggs. 

Write the color of the egg on the INSIDE.  Children spell the color of their egg and then check inside to see if they spelled the color correctly.

ONE-ON-ONE EGGS - a pre-math skill

You will need an empty egg carton and 12 different color plastic eggs.  On the BOTTOM of each egg cup, inside the carton, write one number using a dark colored marker.  Start with the number one and end with the number twelve.  Label the dozen eggs with one number (1-12) on each of the eggs.  Scatter the eggs around and let children find them, OR fill a basket with the numbered eggs.  Children then match the number that is written on their egg with the number in the bottom of the egg carton cup until they fill the carton with the dozen eggs.

 Another idea is to use a dark colored marker to write  the same number on the top and the bottom of the egg.  Or write a upper case letter on one half and a lower case letter on the other half of the egg.  Separate the eggs and let children put the eggs back together.  Check to see if they got them right!

www.sit-a-while.blogspot.com

NESTING EGGS

Make up sets of eggs that fit inside of each other... nest.    You can make up same color sets or sets of different colors.  It is fun to see how many sizes you can fit into a set.

TOP  & BOTTOM MATCH EGG GAMES

Upper and Lower Case Eggs

Using a marker write a lower case letter on the bottom of the egg and an upper case letter on the top of the egg.  Take apart all of the eggs and put them into a basket.  Let children put the eggs back together as they explore the difference between upper and lower case letters.  Adults need to check results.

www.modernparentsmessykids.com





Create a Word Eggs

Write a row of consants around the top of one half of an egg.  On the other half write the last half of a small word.  Then experiment with all the different words you can make. 
Example:  "at"  can be bat, cat, sat, rat, fat, eat, hat...
Children will have fun going through the alphabet to see how many words they can create.

www.playdrhutch.com

Opposite Eggs

Write opposites on each half of the eggs.  Separate eggs and then let children put them back together. 

Examples:  Tall/Short  Hot/Cold  Big/Little  Happy/Sad  Before/After  Arrive/Depart   Ahead/Behind
Crazy/Sane  Day/Night   Dark/Light  Curly/Straight  Easy/Hard  Everything/Nothing  Fact/Fiction  Fast/Slow   Good/Bad  Girl/Boy  Hairy/Bald  Heavy/Light   His/Hers   Interesting/Dull  Kind/Mean
More/Less   Lost/Found   Many/Few   Near/Far  Neat/Messy   Never/Always   Nice/Mean  Odd/Even
Old/New   Young/Old   Open/Shut   Whole/Part  Past/Present  Ugly/Pretty  Push/Pull  Walk/Run
Quick/Slow  Rise/Fall  Quiet/Noisy  Remember/Forget  Save/Spend  Silly/Serious  Strong/Weak
Sunny/Cloudy  Tame/Wild  True/False   Under/Over  Yes/No   Water/Ice  Useless/Useful  etc.


Compound Word Eggs

Divide compound words writing one half on one side of an egg and the other half of the word on the opposite side of the egg.  Children can experiment with different word combinations.

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Examples of compound words:

1st Grade Compound Words: bedtime, bluebird, cowboy, cupcake, notepad, pigpen, popcorn, rainbow, starfish, sunset
2nd Grade Compound Words: barnyard, butterfly, daylight, drumstick, flagpole, jellyfish, mailbox, notebook, raincoat, suntan, bathroom, catfish, doghouse, eyeglasses, footprint, lipstick, outside, pineapple, rowboat, seashell, birthday, classmate, doorway, fireplace, homework, lovebird, peanut, ponytail, sailboat, snowfall
3rd Grade Compound Words: backyard, downtown, overcoat, railroad, sidewalk, stepladder, teaspoon, waterfall, workbench, baseball, earring, necktie, playpen, seafood, skyscraper, sunrise, thumbtack, windmill, yearbook, daydream, handshake, nightgown, racetrack, shoelace, spaceship, teardrop, textbook, toothbrush, windshield
4th Grade Compound Words: afternoon, dishwasher, fingerprint, grandmother, motorcycle, playground, suitcase, teammate, watermelon, yardstick, aircraft, downstairs, fisherman, horseback, necklace, saltwater, sunlight, thunderstorm, weekend, chalkboard, dragonfly, flashlight, keyboard, password, sandpaper, surfboard, toothpaste, worldwide
5th Grade Compound Words: boxcar, earthquake, firecracker, handwriting, homesick, lifeguard, newsletter, rattlesnake, skyline, swordfish, breakfast, endless, gingerbread, headphones, layout, newcomer, overdue, shipwreck, stepmother, tombstone
6th Grade Compound Words: broadcast, deadline, headache, mankind, meanwhile, overseas, sightseeing, straightforward, timetable, viewpoint, courthouse, guideline, landmark, marketplace, playwright, silverware, thoroughfare, trustworthy, undergraduate, weatherproof
source:  http://www.spellingcity.com/compound-words.html

Expression Eggs

When children are upset or angry they often do not have the verbal resources to label those feelings.  This usually results in physical aggression.  Draw a picture of an emotion on one side of the egg and write the word to describe that feeling on the other side.  Have the children match feelings with the word used to describe that emotion.  Equipping children with vocabulary to describe their emotions help them manage their anger in constructive, rather than destructive ways.

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Spelling  or Vocabulary Word Eggs




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This can be done in a variety of ways: 

1.  Using the spelling/vocabulary word list enlarge and make two copies.  Cut each word apart.
     Leave one word whole and cut the duplicate word into individual letters.  Include in the egg:
     the whole word, the individual letters and a picture of the word, OR just the whole word and the
     individual letters.
2.  Practice the spelling word list and then open eggs that include just the individual letters.  Child
     must unscramble the letters to spell one of their words.
3.  Provide a picture of the word and the individual letters. Child must unscramble the letters to
      make the words.
4.  provide a list of words and eggs with the individual letters.  Child marks off words as each egg
     is completed.

Sight Word Eggs

Write a sight word on a slip of paper and insert into an egg.  Do this for your child's entire sight word list.  Fill a basket.  Then take turns picking an egg and practice reading, then spelling that word.  You could also write the words on the outside of the egg, but that would remove the element of surprise and mystery... which equals more fun!

Memorization Eggs

Write or type up the what you are trying to memorize.  Cut it apart into individual words or phrases.  Place one word or phrase in each egg.  Mix up the eggs.  Then, open each egg, pulling out the individual word/phrase and put it all together.  

Examples:  Bible verse, poem, address, amendments, full name, alphabet, numbers, etc.

MATH EGGSTRODINARE

Counting Eggs

Write a number on one half of an egg.  Draw the appropriate number of dots on the other half.  Children count the dots and find the number that matches.  Great for number recognition. 

An alternative for the very small child is to just count a basket of eggs.  You can also count all the yellow or blue or green eggs.  Separate the colors and then count each pile.

www.playdrhutch.com

 Solve the Problem Eggs

Write a simple math equation on the outside of one half of an egg.  Write the answer on the other side of the egg, on the outside.  Then separate all the eggs and let children put them back together.  This is a lot more fun than flashcards.  An adult needs to do this with the children to make sure they are getting the problems correct.  If not, the pieces go back in the basket and they try again.  This is done until all the eggs are put back together. 

Self Correcting Variation of this idea: 

Write the problem on the outside of the egg.  Write the answer on the INSIDE of the egg.  You could also put beans, pennies, macaroni etc. inside that could be counted to check the correct answer. 

Example:  2+2= on the outside.  Inside the number 4 could be written and there would be 4 beans inside to count.

More ideas can be found:  http://pinterest.com/pin/58617232622331760/

What other plastic egg activities can you create?

Wishing you an EGGciting time!

Hearts, Hearts, Hearts... Valentines Activities

With Valentine's Day approaching there are so many activities you can create!

 

Keep in mind that all of the ideas below can be done with other shapes as well,

such as eggs, stars, circles, etc.

 

 

1.  Puzzle - Do you have two Valentine's Day cards left over?  Why not create a puzzle?  Glue or tape one card onto the front of an envelope.  Cut the second card into pieces (less pieces for a younger child, more pieces for an older child).  Store cut pieces inside the envelope and remember to write on the envelope back how many pieces are in your puzzle. 

 

 2.  Draw a thick dark line shape of your puzzle outline with a marker or crayon onto a plain piece of paper.  Card stock or cardboard works best.   Cut apart your shape and store the pieces in an envelope or plastic bag.  Make sure you write down how many pieces are in your puzzle somewhere on the outline piece .  Remember, younger children need less pieces and older children enjoy more pieces.

3.  Cut out any number of heart shapes.  Cut those shapes in half with different patterns.  Put together the broken hearts.(This is great for egg shapes too.)  Stickers and/or a kiss can be added to the different sides of the hearts to assist in putting the puzzles together.  Find an appealing container to hold your broken hearts.  Empty candy boxes make great storage containers for heart games!

 

 4.  Using wall paper samples, construction paper, wrapping paper or fabric, cut out two of each pattern or design.  Cookie cutters are great help to draw your shape. 

This can be a lotto game where every shape is upside down and the players take turns trying to find pairs. 

Younger children are challenged with just finding the two that match. 

To pair children into partners:    Randomly pass out hearts and ask children to find the person who has the heart that matches theirs.  Or, take one set and hide them in the room.  Pass the other set out to the children and have them go on a scavenger hunt to find their match.

Have Fun! 

This blog post was inspired by the book:
Miraculous, Magical Moments in Minutes :
Over 500 Quick, Easy Activities for Adults and Children to Share

by Becky B. Baxa available from Amazon.com

180,full color, pages of non-stop fun!

Quick, Easy Christmas Activities

 

During the Christmas season, life can become hectic, to say the least. 

But, it is important to remember not to let the urgent things

keep you away from the important things.

Take time to play with your kids each day. 

Here are a few quick, easy, fun ideas. 

If you have older children they can make these activities. 

Smaller children will need your help to create the fun. 

Lace-Up Cards 

 

Left over Christmas cards, cards from last year, an old calendar or even the front of a cereal/food box can be turned into a quick activity.  Using a one hole punch, make a row of holes around the outside of your picture.  Then using a piece of yarn or shoe lace you can play with your new "sewing cards".  If using yarn, be sure to wrap a piece of tape around one end to make it stiff enough to push through the holes.  The tape will also prevent raveling.

 

 

 

Flannel Story Box 

 

A story box is great for travel, telling, or re-telling, a story anytime, anywhere. 

This can be used anytime of the year.

A Story Box can be used for individual child entertainment or for a group of children.

 

Materials needed: 

an empty shoebox (one with a hinged lid is preferred)

a piece of solid colored flannel and thin batting

felt pieces

small pieces of sandpaper (optional)

white craft glue/hot glue

LID

1.  Measure the shoebox lid and add 1/2 inch on all four sides. 

2.  Cut out flannel with the dimensions you measured in step #1

3.  Press under 1/2 inch toward the back with a warm iron. 

4.  Cut out a piece of batting that is the exact size as your lid. 

5.  Place the batting on the wrong side of the flannel with the 1/2 inch turn down covering the raw 

     edges of the batting.

6.  Glue the flannel and batting to the lid of the shoebox.

7.  There should be no raw edges showing.

8.  Allow to dry before using.

 

STORY PIECES

Cut out shapes and/or pictures using felt, old greeting cards, pictures from magazines or calendars. Cookies cutters and stencils can be helpful in making pieces.

 

On the back of the non-felt pieces, glue small pieces of leftover felt, or small pieces of sandpaper. This will help the pieces stick to the flannel board lid when telling the story.

 

A fun idea is to make color copies of your child's favorite story book.  Cut out the main characters and add felt or sandpaper to the back.  This will allow children to re-tell their favorite story and to create variations as they wish.

 

Create a Christmas tree from green felt, star from yellow felt and an assortment of ornaments and presents for your child to decorate a Christmas tree. 

 

 

The box in the picture below is telling the Christmas Story. 

Felt shapes, as well as old Christmas cards are used for telling the story.

 

  

Story Telling

The fronts of old greeting cards are also a great way to create stories.

1.  Creativity and Storytelling:  Present a picture and then make up a story about that picture.

2.  Sequencing and Logical reasoning:  A fun way to tell the Christmas Story (or any story) is to provide a variety of cards that include the major events of a particular story.  Ask children to place them in order.  They can then present a card as they tell the story or lay all the cards out on the floor, table or bed before telling the story.

 Puzzles

Remember ... old greeting cards can be used as puzzles.  If you have two of the same card left after sending your holiday greetings, these are perfect to make a puzzle.  Glue the front of one card onto the front of an envelope so you can see what the resulting picture of your puzzle will look like. 

Take the front of the second card and cut it into random pieces.  Remember cut fewer pieces for younger children (even as few as two pieces) and more pieces for older children.  

 

 

 

Using cookie cutters to create a few novelty pieces are great to hide hidden shapes inside the puzzle. 

 

A cereal box - inlaid puzzle



This puzzle is made from a pizza box

 Always write how many pieces are in the puzzle on the outside of the envelope.

If you do not have two of one design, simply add a description and the number of pieces to your envelope front.

This type of puzzle travels well, take little space to store and are always a hit with kids, both young and old alike!

This Blog Post is inspired from the book:

Miraculous, Magical Moments in Minutes:

Over 500 Quick, Easy Activities for Adults and Children to Share

by Becky B. Baxa

If you would like more fun ideas to share with your children

(that do not require batteries or electronics )

you can purchase this 180 page book,

full of color photos,

for $21.95

from Amazon.com

Or

from the gift shop at Shaw Nature Reserve in Gray Summit, MO,

Silver Dollar City General Store in Branson, MO.

This book can also be checked out from the following libraries:

Scenic Regional Library - Pacific, MO

First Christian Church - Washington, MO

Hawaii State Library - Honolulu, HI

Story City Public Library - Story City, IA

Ellsworth Public Library - Ellsworth, ME

Ludington Public Library - Ludington, MI
Denver Public Library - Denver, CO
Pikes Peak Library District - Colorado Springs, CO

Dallas Public Library - Dallas, Texas

Puzzles in Disguise!

Every year, each child has a few Valentines that are not used for their class party. 

These Valentines are puzzles in disguise!

Here's how:

Use clear packing tape to secure one Valentine onto the front of the envelope.  

Take an identical Valentine and cut it into pieces.  The envelope can be used to store the puzzle pieces.

It is a good idea to write how many pieces are in the puzzle on the back of the envelope.

The number of pieces you cut should be determined by your child's age.  It should be age appropriate.  

The younger the child, the less pieces.  

The older the child the greater number of pieces you can make.  

Older elementary school children would love to make these puzzles themselves.  

They can trade with their friends or have contests to see who can put the puzzles together the fastest

or the first.  

Puzzles can be made with any greeting cards or matching photos/pictures.  

BENEFITS OF PUZZLES

Puzzles are great for cold Winter Days!  They help chase away boredom.  They are good for times when you have to wait and are a great work-out for your brain.  Puzzles are a great self-correcting learning tool. They aid in eye-hand coordination and help children learn to categorize and organize pieces.  While doing puzzles children are able to classify and label the pieces.  Fine motor skills are practiced as well as encouraging and expanding social skills. When a child works on a puzzle until completion the child is developing persistence. Once the puzzle is solved the child can feel a sense of accomplishment which boosts his independence and self esteem. Children use adaptable thinking and deductive reasoning skills when they find different ways to put the pieces together. They gain the ability to think abstractly when they are able to see negative space, like the space where a puzzle piece may fit, and figure out what type of shape would be needed to fill that space.  

Puzzles offer a host of valuable educational benefits that support child development and they are so easy to make!  Have fun creating your own unique puzzles!

   For further reading on the benefits of puzzles go to:  

 http://b-inspiredmama.com/2012/08/benefits-of-puzzles-for-kids

Broken Hearts

   

Broken Hearts Matching Game

Create heart warming activities this Valentine's Day 

with red construction paper,stickers and a pair of scissors. 

Here's how:

Idea Number One:

Decide how many hearts you would like in your game.  Trace and cut out hearts that are all the same size.  Cookie cutters can be used to make a heart shape.

Add a lipstick kiss in the middle of some hearts (or maybe just one!) and a Valentine's sticker in the center of the remaining hearts.  Randomly cut the hearts apart using a different cut on each one.

Mix up the pieces and it is then time to let the children put the hearts back together.  

The kind of cut and the sticker in the middle give children clues on how the pieces fit together.

Storage:  Use an empty holiday candy container for storage and 

you have a game that will provide lots of fun for many years.

Idea Number Two:

Using a thick marker, trace a heart shape onto a piece of card stock (the back of a cereal or other food box would also work).

Cut out another heart the exact size from any color paper  (red, pink or lavender are nice colors for Valentine's Day).

Cut out the colored heart in random pieces.  

*Remember the older the child the more pieces, the younger the child the less pieces. *

 A toddler may have 2 or 3 pieces, a five year old may have 6 or 7 pieces and an older child may have many more pieces.  Design your puzzle for the child's age.

Put the puzzle together by placing the pieces inside your heart shape. 

STORAGE:  Pieces can be stored in a plastic storage bag or envelope.  

An envelope can be taped to the back of the puzzle board.  

A plastic bag can be attached at the corner with a brass fastener.