Try These Egg-citing Activities to Celebrate Better Breakfast Month!

Have some fun with eggs while learning the health benefits they provide.

By Bethany Stagliano

Eggs... we buy them, we crack them, we eat them. They are delicious and healthy, and are a food with which most children have a strong familiarity. September is Better Breakfast Month, so read on for some lesson ideas that tie in fun with healthy eating- yum!

Eye Spy a Vitamin Game

Eggs are chock-full of nutrients that our bodies need to grow and survive. Use egg containers or plastic eggs to hide the name of a nutrient or vitamin found in the egg, and have pupils find their match somewhere in the classroom (either hidden in another egg or other location in the classroom or from a fellow classmate).

Vitamin A: Good for the immune system and our eyes
Vitamin B: Helps with cell metabolism
Vitamin D: Works to keep our bones strong
Protein: Builds new cells, maintains tissues, and helps us perform bodily functions
Iron: Need to carry oxygen to our lungs and muscles
Phosphorous: Important for energy, and helps make our bones and teeth strong

Breakfast in Bed Writing Assignment

Offer your learners a menu of options as they research the incredible egg:

Write a paper from the point of view of yourself or someone else setting the scene for a perfect breakfast in bed (make sure to include eggs!).
Interview a chef and write a report chronicling all the different types of egg variations he or she uses for cooking and what egg creation he/she would enjoy with breakfast in bed. If pupils have trouble locating a chef, allow them to ask a family member who cooks.
Research the many ways to prepare an egg, and which would be most appetizing for breakfast in bed.

All assignments can, and should, include an illustration of a breakfast in bed.

Parts of an Egg Activity

Learn about the different parts of an egg!

Using a diagram of the inside of an egg, teach your class what each part is and how it helps our health. Here are the basic parts of an egg:

Shell
Outer membrane
Inner membrane
Air cell
Chalaza
Albumin (egg white)
Yolk
Germinal disk

Be sure to let the class know that membranes help to keep out bacteria, the chalaza keeps the yolk centered (hence, keeping the egg fresh), and the yolk is full of vitamins, minerals, and protein.

Make your lesson more real by bringing in hard boiled eggs sliced in half for a closer examination! Test your pupils' knowledge by having them label the parts of an egg, or draw their own egg including all the different parts. Use sidewalk chalk to decorate a paved area with correctly labeled eggs. Finish with a variation of this activity.

Egg Decorating Art Project

Not only are eggs healthy for our bodies, but they can be healthy for our artistic minds as well. An eastern European ancient art form known as Pysanky, is the art of decorating eggs in a very precise and detailed manner. The official technique of designing a Pysanky is to use wax (some even use beeswax!). However, for the sake of your classroom, you can use paint, watercolors, light tipped markers, etc. You do not even have to use real eggs, wooden eggs can take a greater beating. Follow this link to some Lesson Planet ideas for making Pysanky eggs, or use the resource at the bottom of this article.

Egg Drop Experiment

Have your students brainstorm answers to the question, Why is an egg so fragile? What purpose does it serve? Eggs are unique, in that they are both incredibly strong, and extremely fragile. Squeeze either end, and the egg will not break. Squeeze the middle and you've made a terrible mess! The shape of an egg makes it so that the hen will not break her eggs when she sits to warm them. However, the egg is fragile enough so a chick can eventually break through and be born.

This knowledge is key as your class competes in an egg drop experiment. Inform your class that they will be dropping an egg from the roof of the school, or a second-floor balcony, or some other high location. They must design a contraption to protect their egg from breaking as it makes a crash landing to the ground below. Your pupils will love completing this assignment and finding out if their egg survives the plunge!

A lively discussion and writing assignment would be a great way to conclude this egg-citing opportunity. You can also add to your conclusion by reading Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Seuss.