Comes From an Egg

This time of year, I always look forward to my lessons on oviparous animals. Kindergartners love big words and I tell them to go home and ask their parents if they know what oviparous means. Thy might be able to teach their parents something!

Oviparous is a way to describe animals that lay eggs that hatch outside a mother's body. I always ask students to name what they think comes from an egg. Most can name a few things, but there are so many! There is an excellent book that describes this and it is called, Chickens Aren't the Only Ones, by Ruth Heller. Reading Rainbow has a 29-minute video that explores oviparous creatures and reads the book too. If you search "reading rainbow chickens aren't the only ones" on YouTube, you will find it. At the end of the book, there are some animals shown that do not fit the rule. After children hear the story, they should be able to see the pattern that birds, reptiles, amphibians, and fish are egg layers. There are so many different sizes and colors of eggs too!

Right now, some families have dyed, hid, and hunted for eggs. In late March, birds began laying eggs and new baby birds are hatching. Has anyone spotted a bird's nest in their neighborhood or seen baby birds? There is a lot of information about eggs on the internet. If you have time, do a little research with your child. On my website, zest2teach.com, I have created a short video to show different creatures that come from an egg. Look at the picture of the egg first, and then see if you or your child can guess what will hatch. It could be a crocodile, flamingo, shark, or more. See if you can guess!