Easter Information and Activities
The Chocolate Egg
In England, children receive chocolate
eggs wrapped in fancy paper. Make a giant egg shape on butcher paper and have
students decorate it with fancy art using colorful felt-tip pens. This can be
cut and used as a tablecloth at a gala party, or it can be hung on the door as a
decoration.
The Easter Egg Tree
This tradition first started in
Germany. Eggs were colored and tied to the branches of a tree to herald the
spring season. An Easter egg tree can be madein the classroom-adding a fresh
look to the classroom setting!
The Easter Egg Roll or Easter Egg Hunt
In the United
States, children gather on the lawn of the White House in Washington, D.C., and
take part in rolling Easter eggs on the lawn. In many European countries, eggs
are hidden inside and outside in the garden and, at a given signal, children
carefully hunt for the eggs. "Finders keepers!"
Hide a colorful hard-boiled egg in the classroom and have students go on a hunt for it. Or, have one student leave the classroom and step out into the hall. Hide the egg so that everyone else knows where it is. When the person is invited back into the room, have children thump on their desk with their forefinger if the student seeking the egg is quite close, and thump thump if he or she is practically on top of it.
The Rabbit Hid Them
In the classroom, students can make
Easter baskets from cardboard containers, strawberry baskets, or construction
paper. These can be filled with colored paper that has been cut into strips for
grass, or commercial grass can be purchased for the baskets. When students go to
lunch, have the baskets removed from the classroom (and filled with jelly beans
or other treats). Ask the class aide or older students in the building for
assistance with this activity. When the class returns to find the baskets
missing, it means that the hunt is on at a designated time that afternoon. This
can be a part of the Easter parade, with the finding of the baskets as the
culmination. Sometimes they end up in the office cupboard or in the library or
in the principal's office or in the media center. There is no telling where that
rabbit will hide these baskets! Students at this age giggle with glee and get
caught up in the excitement of the hunt – and they are engaging in a tradition
that is centuries old. This is just one way that the schools transmit the
cultural heritage of the people.
Excerpted from First Grade Teacher's Month-by-Month Activities Program.
