Chickens & Eggs Female chickens, or hens, lay eggs to reproduce. An embryo develops inside a chicken egg that has been fertilized. After about three weeks of incubation, a baby chick hatches from the egg. Some hens lay unfertilized eggs — these are the eggs that we purchase in grocery stores and use for food. In many countries around the world, the egg is often a symbol for new life. In some cultures, Easter eggs are decorated with colorful designs and patterns. In Europe, pysanky eggs (Ukrainian Easter eggs) are painted in intricate designs. In the United States, families often follow the tradition of dyeing hardboiled eggs with food coloring and then hiding them outdoors for young children to find. The most famous Easter egg hunt, usually held the Saturday before Easter Sunday, takes place on the lawn of the White House in Washington D.C. Essential Vocabulary Resource Connection Teaching Resources Egg-cellent Eggs-periments Real-Life Learning: A Primary Study of Life Cycles hen – a female chicken Ukranian Painted Eggs and Patricia Polacco embryo – a human or animal in the early stages of development before it is born, hatched, etc. Rechenka’s Eggs Lesson hatch – to emerge from an egg, breaking out of shell incubation period – the time it takes an egg to hatch incubator – a device used to keep eggs warm before they hatch Lesson Starters Poem Surprise Send each child home with a plastic egg, and ask them to place a small object within that wouldn’t normally hatch from an egg. Tell them the sillier, the better! Display the poem below. Let your students take turns reading the rhyme aloud and filling in the blanks. When they get to the first blank, they should name an adjective that describes their egg. When they complete the second blank, they should open their egg to reveal what’s hidden inside. I went for a walk and what did I find? A _______ egg, someone left behind. It started to crack before my eyes. Out popped a _______ . What a surprise! 100-Day Chick Hunt Incredible Eggs Hatching Incubator Chicks How Does Your Humpty Dumpty Measure Up? Two Minute Video A Penguin Chick’s Life Printables Egg-stra Special Bar Graph Math Stages of an Egg Mini-Book (Science) Baby Chickens: Reading Comprehension Passage Crafts Hatching Chick Craft Spring Chick Craft Easter Crafts Nonfiction News Article from Scholastic News White House Easter Egg Roll Books Book List