Animated Step-by-Steps®: Hunting for Eggs

Note: This resource is modified from a lovely poem derived from the internet several years ago. Unfortunately the original link is no longer operative (http://workofheart.bravehost.com/easter.htm) making it difficult to give full credit to the original author.

The Hunting for Eggs Animated Step-by-Step poem is designed to address counting (1 to 5), colors (red, blue, yellow, green, pink … purple and orange in added extension activities) and five farm animals hidden in the eggs (cow, horse, pig, cat, chicken). A portion of this activity is a guessing game. The child is instructed to 'Shake and listen'. He/she first hears a rattle and then an animal sound. "Guess what animal?" The program then instructs the child to 'Open it' and the mystery animal is revealed.

Here is a peek inside the pages of the Regular Version of this resource. If you are displaying this resource on your interactive whiteboard, the pen tools can be used to fill in the spaces provided to answer the question, e.g., How many eggs did you find?

This resource is available in three versions: Regular (no symbols), SymbolStix (n2y), Picture Communication Symbols (Dynavox/Tobii). It can be displayed on an interactive whiteboard, a computer monitor, a large screen TV using Apple TV/Chromecast, as well as iPad/Android tablets using the free Microsoft PowerPoint app.

Although at first glance, the poem would appear to be an 'Easter poem’, it really can be used to address a variety of academic and therapeutic goals throughout the school year. I recall as a young girl going with my grandmother to gather eggs in the chicken coop. Finding some eggs was always a joy. Breakfast would be just around the corner.

This resource ‘sets the stage’ beautifully for a real world egg hunt within the classroom, playground or motor gym. In many classrooms it can provide a much needed ‘motor break’, simultaneously addressing a host of motor goals (ambulation, squat to pick up, opening containers, one or two-hand shaking, grasping objects, opening/closing the eggs). The Internet offers plastic eggs in different colors and sizes … so you can also add size (big/little or small/medium/large) to the roster of concepts being stimulated when conducting this activity.

The materials/rewards you choose to hide in the eggs can be varied in keeping with individual interests and/or academic needs. Here are a few suggestions:

Plastic dinosaur figurines
Lego people needed for the child’s lego project
Letters needed to spell the child’s name, e.g., K A T H R Y N
Mister Potato Head parts
Stickers
Raisins/gerber puffs/ popcorn
Numbered Face Puzzle

Start out presenting the eggs partially-hidden within the environment. Later you may be able to advance to completely-hidden eggs. You may wish to add a literacy agenda to the latter by providing written clues (that must be deciphered) for the hiding spots, e.g., Look in the red box in the hall. If you are working on core words consider using notes written with symbols. LOOK BEHIND the GARBAGE CAN IN THE BATHROOM. The eggs can be numbered to reinforce counting (e.g., How many do we have? 1 - 2 - 3 . Now we are looking for number 1 - 2 - 3 - ..... 4!

To promote collaboration, encourage students to work in pairs. Each team is encouraged to randomly select a predetermined number of notes from a grab bag. It’s a race against the clock. Set the timer! Ready, set, go!

Here are a few links to get you started with your extension activity:

- jumbo eggs (substituted for the balls) http://bit.ly/1ISrb3

- miniatures http://amzn.to/1NJLAti

- 1” letters http://bit.ly/1YaFYxV

Hunting for Eggs is a nice complement to two other Animated Step-by-Step Activities:
CVC Mystery Balls http://bit.ly/CVCMysteryBalls(TpT) blog post: http://bit.ly/2ass4Hq

Dying Eggs http://bit.ly/DyedEggs (TpT)