Storytime: Eggs

Family storytime for kids ages 3-8 and their families, with craft.

Books:

Egg Drop

by Mini Grey

The first group I read this to was horrified by the ending. So, I warned the second group that it wasn't a happy ending, and said "Humpty Dumpty" with them afterwards; which worked much better.

The Odd Egg

by Emily Gravett

Very fun with quirky drawings. Simple enough story to hold the attention of the younger ones, and the illustrations kept the older ones interested.

Additional books:

Cluck, Cluck Who's There? by Caroline Jayne Church and James Mayhew

An Egg Is Quiet by Dianna Aston and Pictures by Sylvia Long

Eggbert: The Slightly Cracked Egg by Tom Ross and pictures by Rex Barron

An Extraordinary Egg by Leo Lionni

Horton Hatches the Egg by Dr. Seuss

What's In That Egg? by Becky Baines

Songs:

"I Know a Chicken" from Laurie Berkner's Whaddaya Think of That

With shaky eggs, of course. To get the adults involved, I told the kids to give an to the adult they came with. Always a hit!

Activity:

"So Many Eggs" from "Liven Up Your Storytimes", a 2010 ALA Presentation by Kathy MacMillan and Christine Kirkner, www.storytimemagic.net

Prepare a nest of plastic eggs. Inside each egg place pictures or figures of animals that come from eggs. Have the child pick out an egg and open it for the group when you say the rhyme.

I found a nest while walking one day.

"Look at all the eggs!" I had to say.

I waited and waited and what did I see?

Craaack! Who hatched? A baby _______ was looking at me.

Craft:

Hatching Egg

I had a volunteer cut out a duck and two "eggs" (just ovals) from the Ellison. Then she cut one of the eggs to appear cracked. The kids glued down torn paper "nests", and the whole egg. Next, they pasted on the chicks. And finally, the adults helped attach the cracked egg with a paper fastener.