Easter egg hunt

AREA SETUP
(Open thematic poster-Easter egg hunt) Print, laminate, and decorate the walls of your daycare with all kinds of posters.

Educa-decorate-Easter egg hunt
(Open educa-decorate-Easter egg hunt) Print, cut out, and laminate. Use the illustrations to decorate your daycare and set the mood for the theme.

Garland-Easter egg hunt
(Open garland-Easter egg hunt) Print. Let children decorate the garland. Cut it out and hang it within your daycare or near your daycare entrance.

Egg mobile
Provide several hollow eggs and let children decorate them using the technique of your choice. Cut toothpicks in two. Tie fishing wire around the toothpicks by making a knot. Insert a toothpick in each egg. This will make it possible to hang your decorated eggs. (Open models-Easter) Print, cut out, and glue the models on a pastel-coloured string or ribbon.

Egg garland
(Open models-Different sizes of eggs) Print, cut out, and glue the eggs on a string. Use pastel-coloured string and cardboard.

PICTURE GAME
The pictures may be used as a memory game or to spark a conversation with your group. Use them to decorate your daycare or a specific thematic corner. (Open picture game-Easter egg hunt) Print, laminate, and store the pictures in a Ziploc bag or in your thematic bin.

ACTIVITY SHEETS
(Open activity sheets-Easter egg hunt) Activity sheets are suggested for each theme. Print and follow instructions.

Educa-connect the dots-Easter egg hunt
(Open educa-connect the dots-Easter egg hunt) Print and laminate the activity sheet. Children must connect the dots in numerical or alphabetical order to reveal the picture. When they are done, they can color it.

WRITING ACTIVITIES
(Open writing activities-H like hunt) Print for each child or laminate for use with a dry-erase marker.

Stationery-Easter egg hunt
(Open stationery-Easter egg hunt) Print. The stationery can be used to communicate with parents, in your writing area, or to identify your thematic bins.

Educa-nuudles-Easter egg hunt
(Open educa-nuudles-Easter egg hunt) Print for each child. Have children color the sheet and use Magic Nuudles to give it a three-dimensional look. Variation: You don't have Magic Nuudles? Have children fill the spaces designed for Magic Nuudles with bingo markers or stickers. To order Magic Nuudles

LANGUAGE ACTIVITIES

Word flashcards

Use the cards to spark a conversation with your group or in your reading and writing area. They may also be used to identify your thematic bins. (Open word flashcards-Easter egg hunt) (Open giant word flashcards-Easter egg hunt) Print. egg, dozen, henhouse, spatula, egg cup, hard-boiled egg, scrambled eggs, sunny side up egg, chocolate egg, over easy egg, hen, rooster.

Easter egg hunt scene
(Open scene-Easter egg hunt) Print, laminate, and cut out. Children can use the different pieces to complete the scene.

Sequential story-Easter egg hunt
(Open sequential story-Easter egg hunt) Print, laminate, and cut out the illustrations. Have children place the illustrations in the correct order to recreate the story. With very young children, use fewer illustrations.

Sequential story-Easter
(Open sequential story-Easter) Print, laminate, and cut out the illustrations. Have children place the illustrations in the correct order to recreate the story. With very young children, use fewer illustrations.

SPECIAL DAY-Easter egg hunt
(Open perpetual calendar-Easter egg hunt) Print and display to inform children and parents of this special day.

Greeting and area setup

• As children arrive, draw an Easter egg on their cheek.
• Set up a tree in one corner of your daycare. Invite children to hang a plastic Easter egg in the tree when they arrive.

Egg puzzle
(Open collective egg) Print two copies of the giant egg. Display one copy on a wall and cut the second copy to create as many egg puzzle pieces as there are children in your group. Deposit each piece in a colourful egg and give each child an egg. Invite children to stick their Easter egg piece in the correct location on the large Easter egg.

Food

• For lunch, prepare a vegetable-filled omelet, egg sandwiches, egg-filled tortillas, a quiche, or a hard-boiled egg salad.
• At snack time, serve an egg pie or meringue (made with egg whites).
• You can also prepare jelly eggs. Use plastic eggs. Make a hole at the top of each egg (with a screw or drill) and fill them with Jell-O. Refrigerate for several hours. Unmold and serve. Children will love to eat their jelly eggs.
• Serve eggnog.

Activities

Organize an Easter egg hunt in your daycare or in your backyard. You can choose to hide plastic Easter eggs, Easter illustrations, or chocolate Easter eggs. You can find Easter eggs specially designed for Easter egg hunts in stores. Some even provide auditory clues to make it easier for children to find them. Everything you need for your Easter egg hunt

Colourful Easter eggs
(Open colourful Easter eggs) Print as many copies as you wish and hide them within your daycare or in the backyard.

Matching eggs
(Open matching eggs) Print enough copies to have one complete egg (2 halves) per child. Hide half of each egg and give the other half to a child. When you give them the signal, children must hunt for the other half of their egg.

ROUTINES AND TRANSITIONS
Game-This is my spot-Easter egg hunt
(Open game-This is my spot-Easter egg hunt) Print two copies. Laminate and cut out the cards. Glue one copy of each card on the table using adhesive paper. Drop the other copies in a bag. Children take turns picking a card to determine their spot at the table for the day. You may also use the cards to determine naptime spots or for your task train.

My Easter egg path
(Open fun eggs) Print, laminate, and secure the illustrations on the floor to create a path which leads to areas frequently visited by children such as the bathroom or cloakroom. If you prefer, the illustrations may also be used to delimit your various workshops.

PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AND MOTOR SKILLS
Lacing eggs
(Open lacing eggs) Print, laminate, and punch holes around the contour of each model. Children can use a shoelace or ribbon to lace the shapes.

Henhouse race
(Open egg halves) Print and laminate the eggs. Display half of each egg on a wall, at one end of your daycare. Create an obstacle course complete with balance beams, tunnels, etc. Hide the other egg halves along your obstacle course. Children take turns completing the obstacle course, collecting an egg piece as they go along. At the end of the obstacle course, they must associate their collected egg piece with the correct egg piece on the wall.

Egg parachute
Deposit several plastic eggs on a parachute. With your group, have fun bouncing the eggs on your parachute until they fall off.

Egg toss
You will need plastic eggs and a garbage can. Using colourful electrical tape, draw a line on the floor and have children stand on it. Draw another line a few feet away and deposit the garbage can on this line. Children take turns trying to toss the eggs in the garbage can. Give each child five eggs and count how many they successfully toss into the garbage can.

Watch out for the eggs
Draw a line on the floor using adhesive tape. Children must deposit an egg in a spoon and walk on the line without dropping the egg. You may use a hard-boiled egg to avoid messes.

Eggs are fragile
Children sit in a circle. They must pass an egg around the circle without dropping it. Warn them that if the egg breaks, it will make a mess. This game is very fast-paced and stimulating.

Egg race
Children must roll an egg using the tip of their nose. To increase the level of difficulty, you can prepare an obstacle course and have children complete it as they push the egg along using the tip of their nose.

Egg fishing
Cut out several construction paper eggs. (Open egg game) Attach a paperclip to each egg. Secure a magnet on the end of a fishing rod and encourage children to "fish" for Easter eggs.

OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES
Snow eggs
Often, there is still snow on the ground for Easter. If this is the case, bring plastic eggs outside and have children fill them with snow. If the snow has melted away, simply let children hide them throughout the yard.

Easter egg hunt
Hide plastic Easter eggs and encourage children to hunt for them.

Tiny egg race
Have children stand in a row in a large open space. Show them how they can curl up in a ball and roll around like tiny Easter eggs.

COGNITIVE ACTIVITIES

Color by number-Easter egg hunt
(Open color by number-Easter egg hunt) Print for each child. Children must color the picture according to the color code.

Educ-differences-Easter egg hunt
(Open educ-differences-Easter egg hunt) Print and laminate for durable, eco-friendly use. Children must find the differences between the two pictures and circle them using a dry-erase marker.

Educ-trace-Easter egg hunt
(Open educ-trace-Easter egg hunt) Print for each child. Children must trace the lines using the correct color and then color each item using the corresponding color.

Educ-intruder-Easter egg hunt
(Open educ-intruder-Easter egg hunt) Print and laminate. Children must find the six items that do not belong.

Educa-symmetry-Easter egg hunt
(Open educa-symmetry-Easter egg hunt) Print. Children must color the bottom picture (black and white) to make it look exactly like the top picture (in color).

Educ-pairs-Easter egg hunt
(Open educ-pairs-Easter egg hunt) Print. Children must draw a line between identical illustrations or color them using the same color. Laminate for durable, eco-friendly use with dry-erase markers.

Small, medium, large eggs
(Open models-Different sizes of eggs) Print, cut out, and laminate the eggs. Have children arrange them from smallest to largest, from largest to smallest, etc.

Egg sorting
You will need different sizes of plastic Easter eggs. Encourage children to place them from largest to smallest or from smallest to largest. Invite older children to sort them by color.

Organized eggs
Secure a different sticker to the bottom of the twelve sections of an egg carton. Stick the same stickers on twelve plastic Easter eggs. Children must associate the eggs to the correct section, by matching the stickers.

Mysterious eggs
Fill plastic Easter eggs with a variety of objects: macaroni, buttons, rice, pebbles, etc. Seal them with hot glue and adhesive tape. Encourage children to shake the eggs and try to guess what they contain.

Who is hiding in the egg?
Insert figurines or pictures (hen, bunny, lamb) in plastic eggs. Children take turns picking an egg, secretly peeking inside, and then acting like the animal they got a glimpse of. For example, if a child picks an egg containing a bunny, he can wiggle his nose or hop around. The other children must try to guess the correct animal.

MUSICAL AND RHYTHMIC ACTIVITIES
Musical eggs
Fill colourful Easter eggs with rice or dried lentils to turn them into maracas. Encourage children to reproduce various rhythms.

Mystery egg
Give each child a small Easter bag. Hide eggs throughout the daycare. One egg must contain an object. Children hunt for the eggs to the sound of music. Each time they find an egg, they drop it in their bag. When the music stops, invite children to open their eggs. The child who found the egg containing the object can hide the eggs for the next round.

Crazy egg dance
Blow up several balloons. They will represent Easter eggs. You will need fast-paced music and a large blanket (or parachute). Deposit the balloons on the blanket and invite a few children to stand in the centre of the blanket. The others must hold the edges of the blanket. Their job is to try to keep the balloons on the blanket. To the sound of music, children must try to pop as many balloons as possible. When the song ends, children trade places. Note that it is best that children remove their shoes to dance on the blanket (or parachute).

RELAXATION ACTIVITIES
Break out of your shell
To the sound of quiet music, children pretend they are chicks tucked inside an egg shell. Invite children to curl up in a ball on the floor. Slowly, tell them they want to come out of their shell and that they must use their beak to crack it. The shells slowly crack open. Your little chicks can gently spread their wings, stretch their arms, their legs, and their neck. Repeat this activity as needed.

MORAL AND SOCIAL ACTIVITIES
Golden egg
(Open game-Golden egg) Print and laminate. Give each parent an egg. Ask them to glue a family photo on it and return it to you. Once you have all the eggs, hide them throughout your daycare (under a chair, under a table, under a book, etc.). Encourage children to search for their golden egg.

Catch the egg
Each child finds a partner. Give each team of two children a ball. They must pretend the ball is an actual egg and throw it back and forth without dropping it.

EARLY SCIENCE/MANIPULATION/EXPLORATION
Eggsplore!
Collect eggs of all kinds (real or not) and ask children different questions. If possible, find an ostrich egg, a goose egg, etc. These unusual eggs will make your activity even more interesting.

• Which birds lay eggs?
  
• Do other types of animals lay eggs?
  
• What kind of eggs do we eat?
  
• What is a baby hen called?
  
• What can we make with eggs?
  
• Are eggs always white?
  
• How many eggs does a hen lay each day?
• Where do hens live?
  
• What is your favorite egg recipe?
  
• How do chicks grow in an egg?

If you wish, you can crack a few eggs with your group. Show them the egg white and the egg yolk. Show them how fragile an egg shell is. Let children explore the texture of raw eggs in a bowl.

Floating eggs
Fill plastic eggs with different items. Drop the eggs in a container filled with water and watch closely to see which eggs float and which eggs sink. You may also do this activity with a fresh egg and a hard-boiled egg. If you wish, deposit items like the ones used to fill the plastic eggs next to the container so children can see which items float and which items sink. Suggestions of items: rubber ducks, paper, toys, corks, feathers, clothespins, ping-pong balls, golf balls, etc.

Magic shell
Place a raw egg in a drinking glass and pour white vinegar on top. Watch the egg for a few days. Its shell will magically disappear. If you wish, let children gently manipulate the egg.

How to make an egg float
Place a raw egg in a container filled with lukewarm water. Add a few tablespoons of salt. Sea salt produces best results. Like magic, the egg will rise to the surface since salt water is denser.

The spinning egg
You will need a raw egg, a hard-boiled egg (in its shell), and two small plates. To figure out which egg is cooked, spin both eggs. The cooked egg spins more freely than the raw egg. When you stop the cooked egg by placing your finger on top of it, it will stop moving immediately. On the other hand, the raw egg will continue to spin when you remove your finger.

Easter egg
Give each child an egg and have them delicately wash it. With a large needle, punch a hole in the pointy part of the egg. Make a larger hole in the rounded part of the egg and be sure to puncture the egg yolk. Over a bowl, have children blow through the small hole until their egg is completely empty. Rinse the shell under cold water and let it dry completely. You can use the raw egg to prepare an omelet, a quiche, or scrambled eggs. Decorate the eggs with Easter colors.

CULINARY ACTIVITIES
Egg in a hole
Give each child a slice of bread and encourage them to cut a hole in it using a drinking glass. Deposit the bread slices in a frying pan and crack an egg in each hole. Cook on both sides until egg is ready.

Creative recipe-Easter eggs (Open creative recipe-Easter eggs)

Easter eggs

Ingredients:

• 3 bags (1.2 kg) of icing sugar
  
• 1 can of Eagle Brand milk
  
• 1 box of semi-sweet chocolate squares
  
• 1 lb of butter
  
• Vanilla extract
  
• Food coloring
  
• ¼ square of paraffin wax

Steps:

1. Cream butter.
   
2. Add Eagle Brand milk.
   
3. Gradually add icing sugar and stir until mixture is creamy.
4. Divide dough into two equal parts.
5. Dye one part yellow, pink, or green (this part will be used to represent the egg yolk).
6. Shape tiny balls with both the white dough and the coloured dough.
7. To make an egg, divide a small white ball in two, flatten the two halves.
   
8. Deposit the "egg yolk" between the two halves, in the center. Use your fingers to give it an egg shape.
   
9. When you are done, place the eggs in the freezer for a few hours (an entire day if possible).
   
10. Melt the chocolate and paraffin wax in a double boiler.
    
11. Dip the eggs in the chocolate, one side at a time. Once half an egg is covered in chocolate, let stand. Once the chocolate has hardened, repeat on the other side of the egg.

This recipe makes approximately 30 eggs.

Egg taste test
Cook eggs several different ways: omelet, scrambled, hard-boiled, poached, fried, etc. Invite children to take a bite of each and determine their preferences. Help children notice how many meals are made with eggs.

Egg yolk paint
Gently crack an egg, keeping only the egg yolk. Whisk the egg yolk with one teaspoon of water. Pour a small quantity of egg yolk paint into each section of an ice cube tray. Add food coloring to create different colors in each section. Use paintbrushes to paint with the egg yolk paint. If the paint becomes too thick, simply add a few drops of water.

ARTS & CRAFTS
Puppets-Easter egg hunt
(Open puppets-Easter egg hunt) Print the various puppet models on cardboard. Have children cut them out and decorate them with different materials. Glue Popsicle sticks behind the characters to turn them into puppets.

Models-Easter egg hunt
(Open models-Easter egg hunt) Print and use the models for your crafts and activities throughout the theme.

Mandalas-Easter egg hunt
(Open mandalas-Easter egg hunt) Print for each child. Have children color the mandalas with pastel colors.

Egg characters
(Open egg characters) Print. Have children color and cut out the pieces. The eggs will represent the characters' head and body. Fold strips of purple and light green construction paper accordion-style to represent the characters' arms and legs. Glue the medium eggs to the end of the strips of paper to represent the characters' hands and feet.

Egg suncatcher
Cut an egg shape out of adhesive paper. Let children fill the shape with fun Easter materials (confetti, glitter, feathers, tissue paper pieces, etc.). Lay another piece of adhesive paper on top and display your suncatcher in a window.

Hanging eggs
Wrap Styrofoam eggs with tissue paper. Let children decorate them as they wish. Bend paperclips to create hooks and insert them in the eggs. Hang the eggs from the ceiling with pretty ribbon.

Shiny eggs
Decorate Styrofoam eggs by rolling them in glue and then in glitter.

Large egg
Cut an egg shape out of white cardboard or a white paper plate. Pour a small amount of glue in a few bowls and add drops of food coloring to create different colors. Paint the cardboard egg with the tinted glue. If you wish, sprinkle the egg with salt or sugar for an extra shiny effect.

Tissue paper egg
Cut an egg shape out of adhesive paper and stick pieces of tissue paper on it. Even very young children enjoy this activity.

Pastel egg
Paint on waxed paper with pastel colors. Once the paint is dry, cut egg shapes out of the paper.

Painted egg
Trace an egg shape on waxed paper and paint it with chocolate pudding paint (contents of one pudding mix combined with 1 cup of milk) or Jell-O paint (one envelope of Jell-O powder combined with a small quantity of water).

My egg pal
Draw an egg shape on heavy cardboard. Use crayons to add details (eyes, nose, mouth, etc.) and create a character.

Sticky egg
Decorate eggs with a mixture of Carnation milk and food coloring. Let dry for shiny eggs!

Styro-egg
Cut an egg shape out of a Styrofoam tray. Use a toothpick to carve designs on your egg. Apply a thick coat of paint all over the egg and use it to stamp Easter eggs on paper.

Sweet/salty egg
Trace egg shapes on colourful construction paper. Cut them out. Apply glue over the entire surface of the eggs and sprinkle them with sugar or salt.

Egg hatching
Use an egg-shaped sponge to make impressions on waxed paper. Draw legs and glue Cheerios cereal to add eyes and a macaroni piece to create a beak. Add feathers and you will have a cute Easter chick.

Tinted eggs
Dip eggs in a mixture of warm water and food coloring for 30 minutes. Let children decorate the eggs with markers or waxed crayons. Cut empty toilet paper rolls to create discs to hold the eggs in place while children work.

Multicoloured eggs
Stick Popsicle sticks in Styrofoam eggs. Dip them in glue and then roll them around in colourful sand or tinted salt.

Eggs
Use salt dough to make eggs. Paint them, add ribbon, and hang them from the ceiling.

Egg family
(Open egg shapes) Print an egg for each child. Cut out the eggs and glue them on a piece of cardboard. Children can create an egg family and use the eggs as puppets.

Golden hen
(Open egg shapes) Have each child color or paint an egg yellow. Cut a beak out of orange construction paper and glue it in the centre of the egg. Glue wiggly eyes. Cut strips of red and orange construction paper. Curl them with scissors and glue them under the egg. Glue Easter straw under the egg and deposit it in an egg carton section.

My egg
(Open egg shapes) Print an egg for each child and encourage them to draw an Easter picture inside.

Potato egg
Cut a potato in two. Since potatoes usually have an oval shape, use the potato halves to stamp egg shapes on paper. Use pastel paint colors.

Easter egg
Trace egg shapes on waxed paper and cut them out. Place waxed crayon shavings between two egg shapes. Iron the eggs for an impressive result.

Easter egg mobile
Cut eggs out of construction paper. Decorate the eggs and glue them back to back. Make a hole at the top of each egg and hang them to form a mobile.

Cracked egg
Draw an egg shape on construction paper. Cut out and decorate the egg. Cut the egg in two (in a zigzag). Draw and cut a chick outline out of yellow construction paper. Glue the chick behind the bottom section of your egg. Use a fastener to attach the top part of your egg. Children will enjoy opening and closing their egg to see the chick appear.

Flour-coated eggs
Cut egg shapes out of construction paper. Fill a bottle with flour and water. Add a few drops of food coloring. Prepare several bottles and add a different color to each one. Use the mixture to decorate the eggs.

Easter eggs
Have children crush egg shells and glue them on an egg shape. When the glue is dry, children can paint the egg shells.

Easter egg decorating
Prepare several hard-boiled eggs. Let them cool. Have children draw on the eggs using waxed crayons. Combine 1 tablespoon of vinegar, 1 cup of hot water, and 1 teaspoon of food coloring. Prepare different colors. Dip the eggs in this solution. Let dry. Coat the eggs with vegetable oil to make them extra shiny.

COLORING PAGES
(Open complete the drawing-Easter egg hunt) Print for each child. Children must complete the drawing by adding the missing elements.

I am learning to draw

(Open I am learning to draw-An Easter egg) Print and laminate the step by step page. Invite children to practice their drawing technique step by step and then let them try creating their own egg. (Open coloring pages theme-Easter egg hunt) Print for each child.

SONGS & RHYMES
(Open songs & rhymes-Eggs)

Eggs
By: Patricia Morrison

Eggs, eggs, eggs
Hunt here, search there
Look everywhere

I see a blue egg by the window
A pink one on a pillow
A yellow egg in the stairs
A purple one next to the chairs

Eggs, eggs, eggs
Hunt here, search there
Look everywhere

Have fun!

The Educatall team