Easter Flannelboard Story- Submitted by Sherry

You will need a: bunny, egg, egg with a boy, bunny, elephant, mouse, tree, nuts, rocks, sleeping bunny, duck with cracked egg, duck

THE GOLDEN EGG BOOK
by Margaret Wise Brown

Once there was a little bunny. He was all alone. One day he found an egg. He could hear something moving inside the egg. What was it? Maybe a little boy, Maybe another bunny, Maybe an elephant, Maybe a mouse. Who could tell what he would find? And how would a little bunny know?

But there was something inside that egg. He could hear something moving. He shook it. Then the bunny pushed the egg with his foot. He jumped on top of the egg. He climbed a tree and threw nuts at it. He rolled the egg down a hill. But still it didn't break. And whatever was in the egg didn't come out. So the bunny threw a rock at the egg. But because he was only a little funny, it was a very little rock and he didn't throw it very hard and the egg didn't break. PICK PICK PICK

Something was trying to get out of that egg. The bunny sat very still and watched through his shining eyes. He sat very still and listened with his big soft ears -- PICK PICK PICK

Then the little bunny began to yawn. And he yawned and he yawned. The egg was very quiet. He curled up all sleepy and warm close to the egg and went to sleep. He went to sleep because he was so sleepy. Then . . . PICK PICK PICK

and PECK PECK PECK

And crackety CRACK!

Out jumped a little yellow duck.

"Well, what is this?" said the little duck when he saw the bunny. "What could this little fur thing be?" The bunny was very sleepy, so he was still asleep and didn't wake up. "Inside the egg," said the duck, "I thought I was all alone in a small dark world. Now, I find myself alone with a bunny in a big bright world. And the bunny won't wake up."

So the duck pushed the bunny with his foot And jumped on top of him And threw a little rock at him And rolled him down a hill. And the bunny woke up. "Where is my egg?" said the bunny. "And where did you come from?" "Never mind that," said the duck. "Here I am." So the bunny and the duck were friends And no one was ever alone again.

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"The Egg Who Couldn't Decide" Flannelboard Story-Submitted by Patrisha

need: white egg, green egg, orange egg, blue egg, yellow egg, red egg, brown egg, purple egg, a rainbow egg- with all the above colors, and a bunny rabbit.

Once upon a time there was a little egg named Benedict (put up white egg) who didn't know what color he wanted to be for Easter. He said, "I've always liked the color of trees. Perhaps I should be a green egg. (change to green egg) But then again, I like the color of carrots. Maybe I should be orange. (change to orange) Of course, the color of water is very pretty too, I wonder how I would look if I were blue?" (change to blue)

And then he thought of a duck in a meadow and decided there and then to be a yellow egg. (change to yellow) But the next moment a great big fire truck came racing by and Benedict said, "That's the color for me - I'll be a red egg. "(change to red) A moment later he saw a squirrel eating a bunch of grapes. Now which should I be , brown like a squirrel, or purple like grapes? (change to brown and then purple) Oh dear, oh dear," said Benedict, "I can't make up my mind. All these colors are so pretty."

Just then, who should appear but the Easter Bunny. (add bunny piece) "Don't worry, Benedict," he said. "I know just what to do." And what he did made Benedict very happy!!!

What do you think the Easter Bunny did? (see if the kids can guess, and then present one egg with all the pretty colors on it)

After doing the story several times, it's fun to let the kids take turns telling it themselves to the rest. Gives them some self confidence without them even knowing it!

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Easter And Language- Submitted by Sherry

Eggs and Easter go hand-in-hand in most children's minds, and some fun word work could be undertaken substituting 'eggs' in words that start with 'ex': (eggs-cited; eggs-traordinary, etc.).

Children may also enjoy devising Easter word searches and/or crosswords (perhaps with mini eggs as prizes) using words associated with Easter. For example, egg; hunt; bunny; chocolate; roll.

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Easter Books- Submitted by Sherry

"Disney's Can You Find the Easter Eggs, Pooh?" by Kathleen Weider Zoehfeld & Margaret Milnes

"The Great Eggs Hunt" by Maggie Kneen

"The Easter Egg Farm" by Mary Jane Auch

"A Dozen Easter Eggs" by Melissa Sweet

"The Best Easter Hunt Ever" by John Speirs

"The Easter Egg Hunt" by Tom Stone

The Chocolate Rabbit by Maria Claret

Tale of Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter

The Bunny Book by Richard Scarry

Mr. Rabbit and the Lovely Present by Maurice Sendak

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Chicks at Play- Submitted by Sherry

What's the plus of this movement activity? It introduces youngsters to early addition concepts! Invite a child to stand in front of the class. After reciting the first two lines of the poem shown, invite the child to choose a friend to join her in front of the class. Continue reciting the poem and adding playmates until five little chicks are scratching, pecking, and playing!

One little chick went out one day
And called a friend to come and play.
Two little chicks went out one day
And called a friend to come and play.
Three little chicks went out one day
And called a friend to come and play.
Four little chicks went out one day
And called a friend to come and play.
Five little chicks went out to play.
They scratched and pecked and played all day!

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Little Chick, Little Chick- Submitted by Sherry

There's nothing like an entertaining action poem to get your little chicks cheeping! To prepare for this activity, make five chick necklaces, each labeled with a different number from 1 to 5. During your group time, invite five children to stand in front of the class. Provide each child with a chick necklace and identify its number. As you recite the poem below, have each little chick perform an action as directed in the poem.

Little chick, little chick, number one,
Flap your wings and have some fun.
Little chick, little chick, number two,
Reach way down and touch your shoe.
Little chick, little chick, number three,
Nod your head for us to see.
Little chick, little chick, number four,
Jump up high, right off the floor.
Little chick, little chick number five,
Dance around and do the jive.

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One Little, Two Little Chickies- Submitted by Sherry

The following toe-tapping song will add a little rhythm to this counting lesson. In advance, cut out ten felt chick shapes. Line up the chicks on a flannelboard; then sing the song shown, touching each little chick as you count. When students are familiar with this activity, set the chicks near your flannelboard for youngsters to use independently.

(sung to the tune of "Ten Little Indians")

One little, two little, three little chickies.
Four little, five little, six little chickies.
Seven little, eight little, nine little chickies.
Ten little chickies say, "Cheep! Cheep! Cheep!"

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Hop Little Rabbit- Submitted by Sherry

Copy of poem, large space, bunny ears (head band with ears attached), carrots for snack time.

Recite the poem and perform the actions.

Hop little rabbit. Hop, hop, hop
(hop around the room).
Hop little rabbit, don't you stop.
(keep hopping)
Hop little rabbit, one, two, three
(keep hopping)
Hop little rabbit, hop to me.
(have children hop to speaker, child or teacher,
and then fall down together.)

Change the word hop to other motor movements jump, run, skip, march, tiptoe, etc...

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Show and Tell Eggs- Submitted by Sherry

Give each of your kids an empty plastic egg to take home. Have them fill with something small from home and bring back in. Have your kids sit in circle time with their eggs. One at a time have them pass their eggs around and have the other kids try and guess what is inside.

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Easter Bunny Chant- Submitted by Sherry

Funny little bunny
Sat on a stump
Flicked his floppy little ears
And then he gave a jump!

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Books- Submitted by Sherry

The Country Bunny and the Little Gold Shoes by Dubose Heyward

Bunny Trouble by Hans Wilhelm

Peter Cottontail by Beatrix Potter

The Grumpy Easter Bunny

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Patience- Submitted by Sherry

Chocolate Easter bunny
In a jelly bean nest,
I’m saving you for very last
Because I love you best.

I’ll only take a nibble
From the tip of your ear
And one bite from the other side
So that you won’t look so queer.

Yum, you’re so delicious!
I didn’t mean to eat
Your chocolate tail till Tuesday.
Oops! There go your feet!

I wonder how you back tastes
With all that chocolate hair.
I never thought your tummy
Was only filled with air!

Chocolate Easter bunny
In a jelly bean nest.
I’m saving you for very last
Because I love you best.

One teacher said that as she read this poem to her class, she bit off the bunny parts as she read. Then she gave each student a bunny and allowed them to do the same thing as she reread the poem.

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Bunny Wand- Submitted by Carol

Spray paint a wooden spoon white. Cut bunny ears from white tagboard; then run a cotton swab in powered blush and add a bit of pink to the inside of the ears. Also from white tagboard, cut two bunny teeth. Hot glue the ears, teeth, and 2 wiggle eyes and a pink pom-pom nose to the spoon, making the bunny face on the round of the spoon. If desired, tie a length of ribbon into a large bow and glue it to the spoon as a bow tie or fancy hair ribbon.

This Bunny Wand is perfect to use as a pointer for reading songs, poems, and charts. Or wave over your children's heads and magically turn them into quiet little bunnies before circle time. Or pass it around during sharing time to indicate whose turn it is to talk!

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Colorful Eggs- Submitted by Carol

Collect enough colored plastic eggs for each child to have atleast one. Have children sit in a circle, then place a basket in the center. Distribute egss and have each child identify the color of her egg. Then teach the song below. If a child hasd an egg that coresponds to the color in the song, have her hop over to the basket and put her egg in. Continue with other colors until all your eggs are in one basket.

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Eggs in my Basket- Submitted by Carol
Sung to "Skip To My Lou"

Pink, Pink, Pink little eggs.
Pink, pink, pink little eggs.
Pink, pink, pink little eggs.
Pink eggs in my basket.

Replace the word pink with the different colors.

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Jelly Bean Stew- Submitted by Sherry

Make sure everyone washes hands before this activity Sort jelly beans and sort by color. Place colors into small snack size bags, each bag having the same color to match a color in the poem. Give a bag to each child. Recite the following poem and let the children add their color jellybeans to the "stew". Take turns stirring the stew while repeating the poem. Use a soup ladle to give each child a bowl of stew.

Jellybean stew
Jellybean stew
Red and yellow
And purple, too!
Orange and pink
And black and green
It's the prettiest stew I've ever seen!

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"Egg-ceptional" Singing- Submitted by Cindy

Need a time filler? Just crack open one of these eggs! To prepare, ask your little ones to name their favorite circle-time songs and fingerplays. Write each one on a small piece of paper, and then tuck each piece into a plastic egg. Keep the eggs in an Easter basket in your group area. When you need a quick time filler, just ask a child to crack open an egg. Read the title aloud, and then sing the song. To ease transitions, this "egg-cellent" idea just can't be beat!

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Twas the Day Before Easter- Submitted by Lisa in VA
by Tammy Fuller

Twas the day before Easter and all through the woods,
The bunnies were busy packing their goods.
The eggs were all colored so pretty and bright,
All things were "go" for the big , special night.
The baskets were waiting, all decorated with care,
In hopes that the Bunny soon would be there.

My little brother Sam was asleep in his bed,
While visions of Easter eggs rolled round his head.
And I in my pajamas with the cat on my lap,
I had just settled down for a quick little nap.
When outside the window I heard a great noise,
I sprang from my chair and jumped over some toys.

As quick as a flash to the window I flew,
I pulled up the shade and , OH, what a view.
The moon on the meadow cast a bright golden glow
And the wind blew the flowers to and then fro.
Then all of a sudden from out of nowhere,
Came some lively bunnies, hopping here, hopping there!

Leading the group with ears long and funny
Was a plump all-white rabbit...
That's right...the EASTER BUNNY!

The bunnies hopped past, one, two , three, four,
The rabbit called out and then there were more.
"Come Peter! Come, Flopsy! Come, Benny! Come, Joe!
Now hop along! Hop along! Hop along! GO!"

So up on each doorstep the bunnies did hop,
With baskets of eggs. (Let's hope they don't drop)!
Just at that moment, on the porch down below,
Came the stomping of feet 'Twas the rabbit I know!
As I stepped from my window I heard a loud sound.
Through the door came the rabbit with a leap and a bound.
He was furry and soft from his head to his feet.
To see him so close was really quite neat.
He was surrounded by eggs that had been carefully dyed.
Easter eggs galore he soon would hide.

His eyes were all twinkles, His nose was so pink,
And I can't be too sure but I think he did wink.
He had a kind face and a big fluffy tail
That bobbed up and down like a boat with a sail.
A twitch of his nose and a flick of his ear
Was his way of saying "You've nothing to fear."
He uttered no sound as he hopped all about,
Hiding the eggs and leaving no doubt,
That the Easter Bunny had come like he does every year...
Bringing baskets of happiness to children so dear.

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The Resurrection of Jesus- Submitted by Patrisha

The story of Jesus tells us of Jesus's greatest miracle. He rose form the dead. Read the story to the children and have them follow along with the actions.

Some men in power hated Jesus (Children shake fists in anger.)

He was arrested. They placed a crown, made from thorns, on his head. (Children place hands on top of head, cupped like a crown.)

They placed Him on a cross to die. Friends took His body and placed it in a tomb. (Children stretch out arms and look towards sky.)

A large stone was placed over the opening ot the tomb. (Children sit on floor quietly.)

On Easter morning some women went to the tomb. The heavy stone was gone. An angel was there and said, "Jesus has gone! He is alive! Go and tell His disciples He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see Him." (Children jump up smiling, filled with joy.)

Jesus stayed on Earth for several days so His disciples could see Him and know God was really His Father. Then one day while He was talking to the disciples, He disappeared into the clouds. God took Him back to heaven.

That is how we know Jesus was God's Son. That is why we love and worship Jesus on Easter morning and on every day of our lives. Jesus lived on Earth to tell people about His Father in heaven.

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Chant Eggs- Submitted by Patrisha

Have enough plastic eggs for each child in the class and one for yourself. In each egg, put a small rubber or plastic animal or insect that hatches from eggs. ie. fish, snake, turtle, ant, bee, chicken, spider, etc. At circle time, give each child an egg and ask them to open it secretly and see what's inside but not tell anyone. Next begin chanting in rhythm with the children helping you: An egg, an egg, what kind of egg? (still in rhythm say what kind of egg you have) A spi-der egg. (Everyone echos this) A spi-der egg. Continue chanting: An egg, an egg, Jenny, what kind of egg? (Next child says: a chick-en egg (everyone echos) a chick-en egg. Well, I think you got the idea. Continue chanting, inserting childrens' names until all the children have shared the contents of their egg.

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Surprise Egg- Submitted by Patrisha

Send each child home with one plastic egg and the following note:
Dear parents,
Your child is bringing home an activity which requires your participation. Your child received one empty "surprise" egg and needs to do the following with you:

1. Find a single object to put in the egg.
2. Have your child tell you three clues about the object. Write the sentences on the clue sheet.
3. Place the clue sheet and the egg in a plastic baggie and return it to school.

Below is the clue sheet. Fill it out with your child by (Date here).
WHAT"S IN MY SURPRISE EGG?
CLUE #1_________________________________
CLUE #2_________________________________
CLUE #3_________________________________
Child's Name: _______________________________

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Jelly Bean Poetry- Submitted by Lisa in VA

Give each student four different colored jelly beans. I bought some jelly bean paper at the dollar store a long time ago and I print them off on it.

Jelly beans are....
As (Color) as (object).
They write one sentence about each color of jelly bean.

For example:

JELLY BEANS
Jelly beans are
As red as roses.
As green as grass.
As pink as carnations.
As black as night.

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