Wait for it... Mark's ending is perfect for sharing at storytime!
What an awesome egg that Eggbert is!
Oh so many eggs!
Eggs, Eggs, Eggs (Sung to Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star)
Eggs in buckets, eggs in bins Eggs in baskets, eggs in tins Eggs in green grass, eggs in clover Eggs, eggs, eggs, yes, eggs all over. Eggs for children, just like me Eggs for springtime fun, yippeee!
Let's hear it for eggs!
Now, tell, me - do you remember what comes from eggs?
(Ladybugs, and bees and snakes, and lizards --have the kids help remember - and at the end include that cow! ;)
. . . well, I do know of a Cow that laid an egg
but you will have to read that story on your own . . .
(sing to the tune: The Farmer in the Dell) The days of Spring are here, Warm, sunny days are near, Flowers and bees, and birds in trees. The days of spring are here.
As you introduce this, make an envelope bird puppet Unobtrusively color the beak part. Show them that the egg was nice a round, like this (draw one of the
eyes) until, craaaack (karate chop the break in the envelope - and tada!
You have a little talking beak) "Are you my mother?"
Go out into the audience and find the cat the dog and the horse etc. (it's just unsuspecting kids). Have all the other kids make beaks with their hands and repeat after you, "Are you my mother?"
What about this little egg over here? What is it doing? Ollie by Olivier Dunrea OPL Link
Eggs-tra! Eggs-tra! It's time for some of Mark's Eggs-traordinary, Eggs-centric Easter Storytime Ideas!
Let's go on an Egg Hunt!
Shhhhhh . . .
An Egg is Quietby Dianne Hutts Aston
OPL link
We're hunting wabbits, er, I mean eggs.
Shhhhh . . .
A hunting we will go, a hunting we will go, We'll catch an egg and
Wait a minute, wait a minute! Eggs don't have legs! They can't run from us! But they DO hide from us, let's see, where would we find an egg?
I see something, do you see, look, over on the other side of the bog, a tree, and in that tree, let's row out and see . . .
The Rattlin’ Bog Traditional as performed by Golden Bough
Oh, row, the Rattlin’ Bog; the bog down in the valley. ~row, row, row motions
Oh, row, the Rattlin’ Bog; the bog down in the valley-o.
In that bog there was a hole, a rare hole and a rattlin’ hole
the hole in the bog and the hole in the bog
andthe bog down in the valley-o.
In that bog there was a tree. . . ~stand with arms at your side, like a tree
On that tree there was a branch. . . ~arms up and out for a branch
On that branch there was a bough. . . ~turn palms up
On that bough there was a nest. . . ~cup hands for a nest
In that nest there was an egg . . . ~one fist in a cupped palm
Hold on here. There's an egg. In a nest. Hmm. What do you think it's going to do?
Are You My Mother by P.D. Eastman OPL Link As you introduce this, make an envelope bird puppet Unobtrusively color the beak part. Show them that the egg was nice a round, like this (draw one of the eyes) until, craaaack (karate chop the break in the envelope - and tada! You have a little talking beak) "Are you my mother?"
Go out into the audience and find the cat the dog and the horse etc. (it's just unsuspecting kids). Have all the other kids make beaks with their hands and repeat after you, "Are you my mother?"
What about this little egg over here? What is it doing?
I think I've had enough eggs for now. Thank you for coming and have a great day!
___________________
There is a lot more than half an hour's worth of material in this post - so pick and choose, cut out some egg-shaped papers for the kids to take home and color but most of all . . have fun!
I fell in love with Tom Ross's Story of Eggbert the Slightly Cracked Egg many years ago. Fortunately, the paperback is still available too.
For some reason I am drawn to picture books about individuality.
Anyway, you all don't need to know that, I just wanted to introduce a Felt version of this story that I tell in both storytime and laptime. And, of course, I always display copies of the book for patrons to check out at the end. Furthermore, if you fall in love with the story like I did you might not be able to resist picking up that paperback for your own home library!
...and Eggbert is told he must leave...
Wow, he can stay here...
Aha! An idea, no one needs to know...
Better than butter and lettuce!
Tada!
Oh, but it is discovered that you cannot get nectar from an egg...
The most beautiful thing he has ever seen!
And WALLA!
(this one always gets a good giggle)
After the rain, the clouds parted...
And Eggbert realizes...
that cracks just let the sun shine through.
BzZ BZzZ BZzzzzZ B BZzzzzZZzz! What? What is that? BZzzzZ BZZ BzzzZZ B BZZZ! BZzzZ BZZ BZZ B BZzzzzZZ! Oh, could it be? Is it ... A Bee? A BIG Bee A Big BOLD Bee A Big Bold BUMBLE Bee? A Big Bold BABY Bumble Bee? BZZ BzzzZZ BZZ BzzzZZ B BZzzZZ! BZzzzZTTT I Caught it!
I'm Bringing Home a Baby Bumble Bee
I'm bringing home a baby bumble bee ~'Catch' a bumblebee, swing clasped hands back and forth Won't my mommy be so proud of me
I'm bringing home a baby bumble bee Ouch! He stung me! ~Show true stunned surprise, you mean bees sting people!??
I'm squishing up a baby bumble bee ~squish palms together, squish, squish, squish Won't me mommy be so proud of me
I'm squishing up a baby bumble bee Ewwww, it's all over me! ~look at palms, gee whiz, I didn't think it would do that!
I'm wiping off a baby bumble bee ~wipe palms on pants, up and back, keep the rythm Won't my mommy be so proud of me
I'm wiping off a baby bumble bee ughhhh, it's all yucky! ~look at hands and pants, oh, what a mess!
I'm licking off a baby bumble bee ~pretend to lick palms, the trick is to make it SOUND real ;) Won't my mommy be so proud of me
I'm licking off a baby bumble bee bleck! Now that is really yucky! ~shudder like you just tasted something truly terrible!
My mommy won't be proud of me! ~shake finger, on hand on hip, sly little devil look on your face
Oh, I don't think I'll ever catch a bumble bee ever again! Even if it was a baby bumble bee! Oooo, but look here is a hive...
Here is the Hive
Here is the hive ~hold closed fist up But where are the bees? ~shrug shoulders
Hidden inside ~point to fist Where nobody sees ~shake finger, 'nobody', point to eyes, 'see'
expectant pause... closed fist starts to shimmer and shake...
Oh, oh OH! 1 2 3 4 5 ~fingers pop up, counting
They're alive! They're alive! ~let your figners go TICKLING!
That's it. I'm never going to play with bee or a hive ever again! I think bees are just not very nice at all. I know, let's talk about someone nice. Someone who I happen to know is very nice. His name is Eggbert... ~ pull over a flannel board with Eggbert there, sitting and just waiting for us _________________________________ This is a long story for Laptime, so I have turned it into a FELT story. If told with animation and spunk, it works well even for the littlest of storytime attendees. __________________________________________
Now Eggbert, he is just about the nicest egg you ever saw. Oh, but one day... It was discovered... That Eggbert had a CRACK!
Now, I don't know about how it is in your house kids, but here, where Eggbert lived, cracked eggs were just NOT allowed...
Eggbert the Slightly Cracked Egg by Tom Ross There is a delightfully nosy and not-so-friendly bee in one part of this story! The bee part: I stick a finger puppet bee on my finger and it goes out busily collecting delicious nectar from all the kids and flowers. Then, 'Bzzt bzzt BZZ BZZ BZZ B BZZZTTT! And it is discovered that you cannot get nectar from an egg. And that bee tells Eggbert that he cannot stay.'