Who Layed THAT Egg?

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Ranked #80 in Animals, #2,960 overall

Chickens Aren't the Only Ones

Everyone knows that chickens lay eggs. Most people know that all other birds do as well but have you ever thought about all the other animals that lay eggs? Children may be surprised that some eggs do not contain birds. Other egg layers include frogs, alligators and snakes.

This unit explores eggs and egg layers. You will find dozens of ideas for teaching about Oviparous animals across the curriculum from learning to read to math, science, art and writing.
Get out some eggs and crack the shells of learning...

Crack open an egg and discover a new world...  

Dissecting Eggs

Emu Eggs

Photo Credit: Hillary Daye with Emu Egg
form Maryland Emu Association



One day I gathered the children around to learn about birds and eggs. We had read several books about them and had seen birds flying overhead in the playground. This particular day I had brought in a couple of dozen eggs to dissect. When I started pricking the shell and flaking off the chips to reveal the membrane all of the children were silent, staring in awe at the wonder.

Finding EggsAfter showing the children how an egg could be taken apart, I gave each of them a common pin and an egg to try for themselves. The children were thrilled and started noticing things about the eggs that I had never seen before.

Later on we wrote a class book about the experience. Each of the children drew a picture to go with the information that we had discovered. Even the most easily distracted child was completely engrossed in the activity.

That day, no one wanted to go home. They wanted to continue learning about eggs and the birds they come from.

Photo Credit:
Egg Gathering
on Flickr, Creative Commons.

Oviparous Animals 

Oviparous animals are animals that lay eggs. Most fish, amphibians and reptiles, all birds, most insects and arachnids and a few mammals such as the platypus are oviparous.

Pacific Ridley Turtle Laying Eggs, Costa Rica

Pacific Ridley Turtle Laying Eggs, Costa Rica






I find that this unit works especially well after studying Frogs or Alligator Pie and fits in nicely with the units on Bluebirds and Purple Gallinules.

Chickens Aren't the Only Ones 

Reading about Oviparous Animals

Story Hour

Photo Credit: Shared Reading
on Flickr, Creative Commons.




I like to start my Oviparous Unit Study by reading Chickens Aren't the Only Ones by Ruth Heller which talks about many animals other than birds that lay eggs. Ideally it is best to have a big book of this book so that all the children can see the words as you read.

Having several copies of the regular sized book means that several children can read the book during silent reading time.

Chickens Aren't the Only Ones (World of Nature Series)

Amazon Price: $7.99 (as of 11/27/2009) Buy Now

Chickens Aren't the Only Ones, Big Bk.

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A Platypus is an Egg Laying Mammal 

Oviparous Mammals

Wombat and Platypus
A Platypus is an Egg Laying Mammal






Even though the female Platypus has a pair of ovaries only the left one actually produces eggs.

She usually lays two small, leathery eggs. They are slightly rounder than bird eggs and measure about 11 mm or 7/16 of an inch in diameter.

A chicken egg develops for 1 day inside the hen and 21days in the nest. A platypus egg, on the other hand, develops for 28 days inside the and only about 10 days outside.

Oviparous Poems 

Poems of Eggs

Eggs

SalmonLots of animals come from eggs
Some with fins
And some with legs.

Some that chatter
And some that cheep
Some that fly
And some that creep.

SnakeSome that slither
And some that run
Some with feathers
And some with none.

Animal eggs can be quite small
Or just as big as a tennis ball.

They're quite a few
Hatch from eggs
And lay them, too.

Author Unknown

Photo Credit: Purple Gallinule
Photo Credit: Coho Salmon Provided by NYSDEC. All rights reserved.

In marble walls as white as milk... 

by Mother Goose

Hummingbirds Nest and Eggs


Hummingbirds Nest and Eggs



In marble walls as white as milk,
Lined with a skin as soft as silk,
Within a fountain crystal clear,
A golden apple doth appear;
No doors there are to this stronghold,
Yet thieves break in and steal the gold.

(An egg.)
White Bluebird Eggs
General information on how to attract nesting bluebirds, including distinguishing nests and eggs of other cavity nesters, heat, dealing with house sparrows, data on bluebird trail.

Egg Poems 

Poems about Eggs

Egg Poems (Poetry Paintbox)

Cuckoo's eggs, silver eggs, even dinosaurs' eggs can all be found in this amusing collection of poems.

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Lullaby for Eggs; A Poem

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A Basket Full of White Eggs: Riddle-Poems

A Basket Full of White Eggs

Goembel's lovely watercolor and pen-and-ink drawings make sense of proverbs that might otherwise seem obscure in this thought-provoking and beautiful book. Ages 5-8.

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Books about Eggs 

Oviparous Animal Books

Eggs in a Nest

The picture above is from The Robins In Your Backyard by Nancy Carol Willis.

I love to read to children. Reading builds common understanding of any subject that we are studying. When studying oviparous animals I like to have a wide variety of books about egg laying animals. We start with a book like Robins in my Backyard because we had all seen the nests around our neighborhood and then go on to more exotic ones such as Turtles In My Sandbox.

Robins are Obiparous! 

They lay blue eggs!

Robins in the Rain just received a Purple Star Award!

Robin Nest

Robin Nest
Anderson, Angela
Buy at AllPosters.com

Guess What Is Growing Inside This Egg 

Guess What Is Growing Inside This Egg

Amazon Price: $12.44 (as of 11/27/2009) Buy Now

Ladybugs are Oviparous! 

Ladybug Life Cycle Stages

Ladybug Life Cycle Stages

Ladybug Life Cycle Stages models are large enough for children to easily observe from a distance. They could also be used in a Feely Box for guessing and talking about the various stages of a Ladybug's life. Children often know about the larval, pupa and adult stages but rarely know that ladybugs come from eggs.

Watch Ladybugs Hatch from Eggs 

Ladybugs are Oviparous Animals Too!

Ladybug Life Cycle Stages

Use these soft plastic ladybug life cycle figures to teach how this popular insect grows! Four stages include eggs, larva, pupa and adult.

Accurately sculpted and painted to reflect the ladybug's true colors.

Amazon Price: $4.95 (as of 11/27/2009) Buy Now

Insect Lore Ladybug Land

* Watch the small larvae eat and drink from special gels, form cocoons, and emerge as adult ladybugs
* Includes sturdy Ladybug Land habitat, magnifier dome cap, coupon for 15 to 20 ladybug larvae with special food and complete instructions
* See-through domed habitat allows you to get a bug¿s eye view
* Discover the ladybug metamorphosis in the Ladybug Land
* Watch your larvae grow into adult ladybugs

Amazon Price: $13.62 (as of 11/27/2009) Buy Now

A Ladybug's Life (Nature Upclose)

Designed to be read aloud to younger children or alone by beginning readers.

Examines the life cycle of a Ladybug.

Amazon Price: $6.95 (as of 11/27/2009) Buy Now

Butterfly Eggs 

Painted Lady Butterfly



Photo Credit: Painted Lady Butterfly
on Flickr, Creative Commons.



The very tiny eggs of butterflies are found on the undersides of leaves on plants that the future caterpillars love to eat.
Butterfly Eggs
Most butterflies lay their eggs on the underside of a leaf (or under a plant). This way, when the eggs hatch into tiny caterpillars (larvae), their food is all around them and they can start eating immediately.

Most eggs are attached to the plant with a fast-drying glue-like chemical that the female butterfly secretes along with the egg.

Some species lay one egg at a time, others lay eggs in small clusters, while others lays hundreds at a time. The adults do not provide care for the young.
Butterfly Life Cycle Printout - EnchantedLearning.com
Butterfly Life Cycle Printouts -

An Extraordinary Egg 

What's inside the Egg?

Photo Credit: Girl Holding Egg Craft Project
from Aquarium of the Pacific




1. Make a large paper egg and cut it in the middle
2. Attach a paper fastener to one side so that the egg can open and close.
3. Make an egg hatching animal and glue it to the back of the bottom shell.
4. Write a riddle about the creature inside.
5. Share your egg and riddle.

An Extraordinary Egg

Amazon Price: $6.99 (as of 11/27/2009) Buy Now

It Started as an Egg 

Geoboards
It Started as an Egg
Learn to Read Science Level 3, It Started as an Egg, 6 pack
16-page books that builds confidence and teaches reading strategies to young readers while stretching their abilities with more challenging text. Level III readers challenge emergent readers more with less repetitive, less predictable, but equally entertaining and motivating text and images. These sensational stories present science topics most commonly taught in the primary grades and cater to children's natural curiosity about the world around them. [CTP4166] - Teacher Supplies - Get Smart Super Stores Grade: K-2


It Started as an Egg
Lesson Plans, ideas, poems and activities to accompany It Started as an Egg for early childhood educators and parents from Hubbard's Cupboard.


Which Came First the Chicken or the Egg? 

Can we find an answer to this oviparous question?

the Chicken or the Egg

You knew I was going to have to ask it! Didn't you? So now you have to answer:

Which Came First the Chicken or the Egg?

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It must have been the Chicken.

Spook says:

I'll go with the chicken for obvious reasons.

tonyab says:

Well if the egg came first, who created the egg? (lol) I actually have not a clue, but I lean more toward the chicken if you have to pick one or the other.

YODELMAN says:

Who Cares? They both taste great in the right recipe!

Kisa Hari says:

It was the chicken because technically God created the animals on the 5th day and so was presented before the egg. The chicken merely produced the egg afterwards, continuing the lovely cycle that is life. ^_^ Just like humans, we came in adult form (but that's another discussion altogether...).

Samantha K says:

It was the chicken because they evolved from and egg laying pteradactyl and one day that pteradactyl layed and egg and when it hatched it was a chicken. So the chicken came first.

On a lens like this I have to go with the Oviparous answer.

papawu says:

Didn't someone once say that ignorance was bliss? lol.

kab says:

"one day that pteradactyl layed and egg and when it hatched it was a chicken"??? Hardly!

The egg game first, there were eggs long before there were chickens. Dinosaurs, Amphibians, Fish...

 
view all 9 comments

Finding Eggs in the Wild 

Wild Eggs
Wild Eggs at the Dovetail Gallery Egg Museum
Wild eggs at the Egg Museum of Dovtail Art Gallery.

The boys spent weeks collecting eggs anywhere their legs or their bikes would take them.

Remember that in 1959, people weren't as concerned with conservation of our natural resources and today, folks would be horrified to know that they collected eggs from as many bird species as they possibly could, including wren, chickadee and morning dove to duck, goose, crow and hawk.

The easiest were the birds that nested low to the ground and in the marshes where all that stood in the boys' way was a little water and high grass.
How to Identify Wild Bird Eggs
How to Identify Wild Bird Eggs. Birds build nests to keep their eggs warm and dry. They also camouflage their homes to hide them from predators. Whether you're an avid birder or just out for the occasional nature hike, you may be lucky enough to stumble upon a nest of wild bird eggs. If so, you might want to know what you're looking at.

NOTE: If you find whole eggs or a birds nest, take pictures and observe it without touching it. In many areas, it's illegal to disturb the nests of wild birds.

Find the EGGS 

EGG Game letter eEGG Game Letter gEGG Game Letter g

Make lots of cards with the letters in the word eggs. These words could be cut and pasted from magazines or newspapers or from the Internet.

You might ask parents to send them in or assign this for homework. Include index cards cut in half so that parents can help the children glue them to the cards.

Find the EGGS Game:

1. Spread out all the cards face up.
2. Race to see how many EGG words you can make before the egg timer runs out of sand.

This game helps children recognize the letters in different fonts and learn to spell the word eggs.

Store the letters and timer in a large plastic egg like the ones that came with pantyhose or in an egg basket.

Oviparous Writing Activities 

Classroom Activities for teaching about Eggs and Egg Laying Animals

Egg Book

Children create books with Pockets for stuffing with all sorts of neat "discoveries" related to eggs, birds and other oviparous animals.

Oviparous Math 

Teaching Math while learning about Oviparous Animals

Teach math by relating it to oviparous animals. In The Whole Language Kindergarten the "teacher places one unifix cube on the table for each egg-layer the children name."

The Whole Language Kindergarten (Early Childhood Education Series (Teachers College Pr))

Amazon Price: $17.52 (as of 11/27/2009) Buy Now

Oviparous Math Centers 

Things that come in Dozens

Dozen Eggs

Photo Credit: A Dozen Eggs
on Flickr, Creative Commons.



Eggs often come in dozens. We brainstorm things that come in dozens and eventually make a class book that is kept in the class library or used in a Literacy Bag.

Try grouping things in dozens and then Skip Count by 12's.




Dozen RosesDozen Golf BallsDozen DoughnutsDozen Cats


Egg Carton Counting
Egg Carton Counting

This hands on preschool math activity is simple to make using recycled egg cartons. Preschoolers will practice their small motor skills, number recognition skills, and counting skills as they play this counting game.


Egg Pattern Center



Egg Patterns

1. Provide a basket of assorted colors of plastic eggs and a few empty egg cartons.
2. Cut construction paper egg shapes in the colors that match your plastic eggs.
3. Glue the eggs shapes in various patterns onto cardstock and laminate.
4. Have your students select a pattern card and then extend the pattern by placing plastic eggs in the egg carton.
5. They can self check by placing the pattern strip above the eggs in the carton.


Gathering Eggs 

Eggs in the Chick Coop




If a chicken lays, on average, one egg per day. How many eggs will you be able to gather in a month?

If you have 12 chickens, how many eggs will you be able to gather in a month?

How many dozens of eggs would you have in a month?

It is recommended that you eat 2 eggs a day. How many people could 12 chickens feed in a month?

Weighing Eggs 

Learn how to weigh eggs

weighing eggs

Scientists weigh the eggs of oviparous animals in the wild as a way to measure their health. What can scientists learn from studying the weight of eggs in the wild?

Set up an Egg Weighing Center.

1. Provide eggs. Usually we weigh chicken eggs but sometimes we weigh quail eggs, goose eggs.
2. Make sure that the children know how to clean up after a spill and wash their hands throughly.
3. Label each egg and provide paper for recording information.
The weighing of Olive ridley eggs
The Rufford Small Grants for Nature Conservation
Weighing Eggs of Nesting Birds on the Tundra
Minnesota Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit

Population Trends of Tundra-Nesting Birds in Churchill Manitoba
Perigrin Falcons egg shells were Brittle from DDT
The weight of the adult bird who had ingested DDT could break the shell.

Dissect an Egg 

One of the most exciting activities I have done with children is dissecting an egg.

First we look at the egg and describe the shape. You can feel the difference between a hard boiled egg and a raw egg. It is easiest to see a difference when spinning them on a table top. We pass the eggs around so that everyone can feel the difference.

Broken Egg

Then the children become absolutely silent as they watch me use a common pin to gently chip away the shell of the raw egg. Usually you can chip away quite a bit before you break the membrane. Carefully pass the egg around again.

Egg Diagram

"If you look carefully you should be able to see not only the yellow yolk, but perhaps also the white circle marking the germinal spot within it. This germinal spot is never well developed in unfertilized eggs, however, in a naturally fertilized egg of a wild bird it would be the beginning of the new baby bird. You should also be able to see that the 'white' or 'albumen' comes in two different forms. Some of it is thick and retains a certain amount of shape around the yolk and some is runny and flows all over the place. You may also be able to determine the two whitish, twisted, stringy 'chalaza', one on each side of the egg. Part of these may remain inside the egg shell after you have tipped the rest of the egg out."

Lab Report

Once the activity has been modeled, including how to clean up accidents, this can become a center during center time. Have lab sheets handy for recording observations.
The Bird's Egg
An introduction to the biology of the avian ova, or eggs
Hatching Chicks
Watching eggs hatch using an incubator in the classroom.
Diagram of an egg
Egg Structure diagrammed.

Green Eggs and Ham Graph 

Counting Hundreds of Eggs

Green Eggs and Ham Graph

'Yum or Yuk' Graph Children can interview their family and collect data to make a 'Yum or Yuk' graph to show how many people like or dislike eating green eggs and ham. Include a sheet of paper and an oval shape to trace around. The children trace an egg for each member of the family, write the family member's name on the egg. ie: "Brian's Mom", "Brian's Dad" and then color it green if they like it, leave it white if they don't. Provide a Ziplock bag to bring the eggs back to school and attach it to the inside of the journal. At school the child gets to add the eggs to the classroom graph. NOTE:The graph can be arranged in tens to help learn to count up to 100.

Adding Up Eggs and Ham 

Eggs and Ham Math

Green Eggs and Ham Math

Green Eggs and Ham Math

Make bacon and eggs from pieces of felt. Tacky Glue works well to hold the together.

Kids serve up eggs and ham then use the numbers to form the math problems such as 2+3=5. Where 2 eggs plus 5 slices of bacon equals 5 things to eat on the plate.

9" x 12" Acrylic Craft Felt Sheets, Brown

Amazon Price: $0.99 (as of 11/27/2009) Buy Now

Acrylic Craft Felt Packages (25pcs/pack), Yellow

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Melissa & Doug Magnetic Wooden Numbers

Amazon Price: $10.02 (as of 11/27/2009) Buy Now

Egg Timers 

What can you do in a minute?

Children need to learn about time and what better way than to challenge them to one minute contests.

1. Tie your shoes
2. Line up
3. Write your full name, address and phone number

Egg Timer - Timey - Mechanical

Amazon Price: $6.75 (as of 11/27/2009) Buy Now

Count The Eggs 

Count The Eggs

Learners match number cards with picture cards.
BaynCarlson.com - Math Bag Games
Math Bag Games Count The Eggs
Tufted Titmouse eggs and nests and young photographs
Eggs in Nest

General information on how to attract nesting bluebirds, including distinguishing nests and eggs of other cavity nesters, heat, dealing with house sparrows, data on bluebird trail.

1. Print and laminate pictures of eggs in nests.
2. Each player flips over a card and count the eggs.
3. The one with the most eggs keeps those cards.
4. The one with all the cards in the end wins.

Variation: Add a couple of egg predators that make you lose all your cards. For example a snake, skunk or a raccoon.

Which is your favorite oviparous animal? 

Bird Egg Collection IV

Bird Egg Collection IV
Buy at AllPosters.com



Do you know of any other oviparous animals? Just add them to the list.

Chickens

2 points

Alligators

1 point

Salmon

1 point

Kemp's Ridley Sea Turtle

http://www.nps.gov/pais/naturescience/kridley.htm
more...1 point

Squid

http://www.squidoo.com/squidview1 point

Frogs

http://www.squidoo.com/frog-eggs1 point

Crack the Eggs and Spell 

Crack the Code with this fun printable game.

CVC Word Practice

On each turn, players choose one each of three different egg card types: whole egg, just cracking egg, and VERY cracked egg. Keeping the cards in that order, the player flips the cards to reveal the letters on the other side. Do these letters make a good word? If so, a "chick" has hatched and the word is recorded on the handwriting lines on one chick on the player's game page. The winner is the first to make, read, and write four good short vowel words and fill their game page.
Get Crackin Printable Reading Game
Get Crackin' phonics reading game: printable game in full color. Practice reading and writing short vowel words. A FUN way to practice valuable language skills!

Unscramble the Oviparous Animals 

Scrabble Letters

Fill plastic Easter Eggs with the letters to form the names of egg laying animals. Children crack open the eggs, unscramble the letters and discover the animal inside.

Variations:
1. Have a list of animals with the letters written the size of Scrabble letters and have the children match the letters to the words on the list.

Put a picture beside each word for non-readers.

2. Have the children write the name of the animal, draw an egg shape around the word and then color the egg according to the egg it came from.

Egg Games 

Oviparous Bulletin Board

A bulletin board can be made with oviparous animals popping out of their egg shells.

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Oviparous Puzzle 

Life Cycle Sequences

Lifecycles

These life cycle puzzles are great for using in learning centers. The children can put them in the right order. I like to write words on the underside of the puzzle pieces so that the children can use them during Writing Workshop. I also make sentences about the life cycles so that the children can also put the sentences in order.

Searching for Frog Eggs 

Industrial Waste in the Frog Pond. Learn more about frogs and a search for frog eggs...

Place Value and Frog Eggs see Frog Unit Study in the Math Section.

Chicken Family Theater 

Chicken Story

Set up a theater and let the children make up stories of that the rooster, hen and chick are doing. They might relate the story to The Three Bears. What porridge would they eat? Corn meal mush? Try writing the story as a class book and then turning it into a Literacy Bag.

Chick in Egg Folkmanis Finger Puppet [Toy] [Toy]

Amazon Price: $10.52 (as of 11/27/2009) Buy Now

Plush Red Hen Puppet 15"

Amazon Price: $30.31 (as of 11/27/2009) Buy Now

Plush Rooster Puppet 15"

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Make Way for Ducklings Lapbook 

Ducks are Oviparious too!

Oviparous Lapbook

Cracked eggs and paper fasteners could hide all sorts of oviparous animals.
Make Way for Ducklings
Make Way for Ducklings - lapbook

Make Way for Ducklings 

Make Way for Ducklings
Make Way for Ducklings on Boston Common



When we homeschooled in Boston, one of our favorite places to go was Boston Common. We often read Make Way for Ducklings" on the subway and then followed the route of the ducks from the Charles River, down Charles Street, past the Corner Bookstore, crossed the street where Officer Clancy helped the ducklings and over to the statues of the ducklings.

These ducklings and their mom are made of brass that is well worn from children playing leap frog over them.

Ducks are, of course, oviparous.

Make Way for the Ducklings Bookmark

Amazon Price: $1.99 (as of 11/27/2009) Buy Now

Make Way for Ducklings Unit Study 

Duck Unit Study

Egg Related Coloring Pages 

Pastiche has made a lens with lots of egg related coloring pages. I like to use these to inspire writing about eggs, making book covers, or just the fun of coloring.

Egg Coloring Pages

Blow Out an Egg 

Empting an Egg Shell

Push the pin in rather than trying to stab it. Blow gently and steadily. Let the egg drain and dry before decorating.
ACTIVITY: Blow Out An Egg
Blowing Out an Egg

Use a darning needle or corsage pin to poke a hole in one end of the egg. It is recommended that you start with the broader end, as it has the air cell in it. Starting with the "pointy end" can result in egg oozing out before you are ready.

Decorated Easter Egg 

Oviparous Art

Credit: pitrih
Copyright: www.sxc.hu/pitrih

Egg Decorating 

Oviparous Art



Eggs are a fun surface in which to use your creative talents and you need not wait for Easter to do so. Many people enjoy decorating eggs to hang on the Christmas tree, decorate for St. Patrick's day or hang in the window for Halloween, but of course the most common time of year for egg decoration is Easter.

A kid's guide to decorating Ukrainian Easter eggs

Good for beginners of all ages. Contains systematic instruction designed to give the basic skills needed for decorating pysanky.
48 pages-all color.

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Legend of the Easter Egg, The

One April morning Thomas and his sister Lucy are gathering eggs from the hens and discussing Easter.

Amazon Price: $11.99 (as of 11/27/2009) Buy Now

Rechenka's Eggs (Paperstar)

An old woman named Babushka always wins first prize in the Easter festival for her exquisitely painted Ukrainian eggs.

Amazon Price: $7.99 (as of 11/27/2009) Buy Now

Decorating Easter Eggs 

There are many ways to decorate eggs and you need not wait for Easter to do so. Eggs can be decorated to celebrate any holiday from Valentine's Day to Christmas, Halloween to Saint Patrick's Day.

If you would like your egg decoration featured, just email me a picture.
Easter Egg Decorating & Easter Invitations
Decorating Easter eggs

Decorating Easter eggs is easy with these unique easter egg dyeing end egg decor ideas. Send Easter invitations from PurpleTrail.com
Ukrainian Egg Decorating Kit from HearthSong
Ukrainian Egg Decorating KitFor centuries the Ukrainian people have perfected the art of "pysanky," a wax-resist and dye process on eggs.
Egg Decorating Contest
Frog Eggs

Egg Decorating Contest at Pleasant Grove Elementary Home

The egg decorating contest is an annual event sponsored by the student council. Students in all grade levels are encouraged to participate by designing and decorating an egg on the theme for the year. Entries are judged and winners are selected by grade level.

Shark Eggs or Mermaid's Purse 

Some Sharks are Oviparous

Shark Egg or Mermaid's Purse
Shark Egg or Mermaid's Purse has a creative commons license.

Shark's eggs, sometimes called Mermaid's Purses are often found on the beach. It may be surprising to find that not all eggs are round or oval. What advantage does the shape of each egg have for the mother or for the babies?

If you find a shark's egg on the beach, try taking it into the ocean to observe how it moves in the waves. Does it sink or float?
Shark Eggs
Most sharks give birth to live young, but some release eggs that hatch later

Oviparity- These sharks deposit eggs in the ocean which will hatch later if they are not eaten by predators. The eggs are not guarded by either parent. Shark eggs (sometimes called "mermaid's purses") are covered by a tough, leathery membrane.

Alligator Eggs 

Reptiles are Oviparous Too!

Flap Your Wings (Beginner Books(R))

In Dr. Seuss styles the bird parents take care of the alligator that hatches in their nest.

Amazon Price: $8.99 (as of 11/27/2009) Buy Now

Alligators and Crocodiles (Scary Creatures)

... their nest affects the gender of the young. Alligator eggs hatch mostly as females below 89°F (32°C). ...

Amazon Price: $6.95 (as of 11/27/2009) Buy Now

Alligators are Oviparous 

Alligator Unit Study

Spotted Salamander Eggs 

Salamanders are Oviparous

Vernal Pools: When Will The Spotted Salamander Eggs Hatch?
Trying to guess what night spotted salamanders eggs will hatch would be similar to guessing the day of a first snowfall or when that last pile of snow behind the house might melt.

Oviparous Literacy Bag 

Oviparous Literacy Bag

Cotton Tote bags are great for turning into Literacy Bags. Just add a couple of books; fiction and non-fiction, a stuffed animal, an activity related to the skills you are learning in class and a journal for recording thoughts.

I use literacy bags instead of homework because it makes homework individual to each child's needs and learning style. Literacy bags are fun for both the parents and the child. Parents are often surprised when their child comes home able to read some of the books included in the literacy bags.
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Oviparous Homework 

Eggs
The Adventures of Goose and Peanut: Do You Know What Oviparous Means???
The assignment was to choose an oviparous animal, draw a picture of it, hide it in a plastic egg, and write 3 clues to help your classmates guess the animal.

Using inventive spelling she was able to do the assignment all by herself. What an accomplishment!

Egg Display 

Display Table of your Eggs

Egg Display
-Flickr Creative Commons

An antique display table would make a wonderful place to display found objects on your nature walks. Notice how the birds and eggs are displayed here. To get a better view of the table go to the following link.

You can also make a display table like this by building up the sides of a table or coffee table and adding a hinged picture frame as a top. In a classroom setting you might want to consider using Plexiglas.
Display Table showing Birds and Millinery
A sweet vintage piece.

Oviparous Lenses 

Happy Easter, Eggs in Nest

Happy Easter, Eggs in Nest
Buy at AllPosters.com



Learn more about the following oviparous animals:

Turkey Eggs 

Turkey eggs are larger than chicken eggs and have brown molting on them.

Turkey Eggs
Turkeys lay their eggs on the ground in leaves at the edge of the forest or in a hollow amongst the grass in a meadow. Last year as I was mowing the field in front of our house I accidentally mowed over a nest but because it was in a hollow I only broke two eggs.

Turkeys are Oviparous Animals Too! 

Turkey Eggs

Emu Eggs 

Emus are Oviparous as well

Emu Eggs
Emu Eggs



Photo Credit: Emu Eggs
on Flickr, Creative Commons.



One year we went to the Tunbridge World's Fair in Vermont where they had an exhibit of Emus and their eggs. The eggs are very large and heavy. Their shells are quite thick and seem to be difficult to break.

Emu eggs have three different colored layers making them ideal to carve.
Learn all about Emus
From the Maryland Emu Association

The FAQ section of this site is ideal for children interested in knowing more about Emus. The large font and spacing between the questions makes the informative information easy to read.

What is an emu?
How large are emus?
Are emus friendly?
How do emus react to our climate?
What type of facilities are needed for emus?
What do you feed an emu?
When is the laying season?
How many eggs does an emu hen lay?
How long do you incubate an egg?
Who buys emus?
What is the market like at the present time?
Once the commercial market is reached, what will be produced?
Where can I purchase any of the above products?
How can I find out more about emus and who is in my local area?
Emu's Zine
Egg Artist - Tina Munford describes her experiences in carving and decorating emu eggs.

Oviporus Thematic Studies 

Pre-Kindergarten Egg Unit
Pre-Kindergarten Egg Unit for learning about eggs and oviparous animals.
Oviparous
Oviparous Theme

Math activities, charts, and learning games for K-3 classrooms.
Oviparous Animals
Mrs. Flanagan gave us pictures of animals. In the chart on the left, we predicted which ones would be oviparous (came from eggs) and which ones were not oviparous.
Rechenka's Eggs Unit Study
Literature Based Unit Study written by Ami Brainerd and Helena Gosline. Based on the book Rechenka's Eggs by Patricia Polacco.

Includes activities about eggs all across the curriculum as well as components for Lapbooks.

Lensmasters with Oviparous Animal Lenses 

Alligator Egg

Elizabeth Jean Allen has created dozens of lens about birds from Flickers to Owls she has a lens about almost any bird you could think up.

Editor Dave has made several lenses about reptiles as well as Fish.

Salt and Pepper Eggs 

Vintage Eggs for Oviparous Imaginations

Salt and Pepper Eggs come in many intriguing shapes and forms. Set out a basket of salt and pepper eggs and let children use their imaginations.

Many children like to turn them into characters in stories. This activity can be used as a prewriting activity. They work out the main story line with these eggs and when it's time for Writing Workshop all they need to do is write down the story.

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Tell us about your favorite oviparous animal 

Eggs

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After Oviparous Animals What Next? 

From Laying Eggs to Milking

After learning about oviparous animals you might like to go on to animals that produce milk.

Meet the Author of this Lens 

Evelyn's Hands-On Learning Blog.

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Finding a nest of turkey eggs in the field last year was the highlight of my summer.

Come find out what else I'm up to:

 

The Egg Laying, Oviparous Index 

by Evelyn_Saenz

My passion is teaching and finding ways to teach children in fun, hands-on, creative ways. The unit studies I make on Squidoo reflect my view that lea... (more)

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