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Using Easter Eggs to Teach

Kids, especially younger ones, love hands-on activities. The movement feels like play time, and also helps build important neural pathways and connections. There are also benefits for increasing hand-eye coordination as students manipulate objects.

In the weeks leading up to Easter, I love to use plastic Easter eggs as manipulatives and learning tools. There are so many things you can do with them to make learning fun and engaging! The activities listed below are mostly geared toward preschool or kindergarten aged kiddos, but I’m sure older kids would enjoy them as well. 

  • Put rice or beans into eggs to make music shakers. Be sure to tape the eggs closed so you don’t end up with rice or beans all over your classroom!
  • Add eggs to a sensory bin for students to find.
  • Use eggs as a measuring tool– how many eggs tall is each student? How many eggs wide is their desk? How many eggs would it take to measure from one side of the classroom to the other? *For older kids, you could then have them measure the egg then calculate the actual distance.
  • Have students do a color sort with the eggs. Make it more challenging by hiding eggs around the room for them to find first.
  • Hide eggs around the room. Divide the students into small groups and assign each group a color. Whichever team finds all of their eggs first wins the game.
  • Make a chart with each upper case letter of the alphabet on it. Then, write each lower case letter of the alphabet on small pieces of paper. Put the papers in the eggs, hide the eggs, and have students find them. As they find each egg, they must match it to the correct upper case letter.
  • Inside each egg, put a piece of paper containing whatever it is they are working on learning– simple math equations, sight words, spelling words, trivia questions, etc. Hide the eggs around the room or in a sensory bin.
  • Put students in small teams. Give each team a container of egg halves. Set a timer and see which team can make the tallest tower from their egg halves in the time given. 
  • Students can use eggs to form letters or sight words.
  • Print off two sets of identical Easter egg pictures. Cut them out and have students play memory. You can also hide one set around the room and have them find each egg and find the match in the other set.  (see photo below)
  • Using the printed eggs, write a math equation, sight word, spelling word, etc. Students can pick an egg and complete the task on the egg.
  • Easter egg mix & match– Print the downloadable file below, then color each egg one color on top, and a second color on the bottom. Give students the cards and a container of egg halves. They can make eggs to match each card. (see photos below)

These activities would be so much fun for younger grades– give them a try with your students and let us know how they go! Parents of young children, these would be fun for you to try at home, too!

Play memory with matching eggs.
Print & color each egg card
Students can make eggs to match each card
Easter Egg Mix & MatchDownload
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Scholarship Application Tip: Submitting Photos and Videos

It’s time for your weekly scholarship application tip! Last week, I encouraged applicants to document all the phases of their project through photos and videos. This week, we will cover what to do once you have all of your photos and videos and you are ready to fill out your application, and the specific requirements that must be met for video and photo submissions.

Since we can’t physically meet with every single applicant to see their project in action, we need you to SHOW us your work in the form of photos and videos. Both video and photos are required to be considered as a scholarship winner. Below, I have included the specific requirements and guidelines for both photo and video submission. The requirements listed below are exactly what you will find on the application.

Video Requirements:

  • 2-5 minutes
    Must be edited to include:
  • Examples of your work in action (photos, video clips, etc.)
  • A few words directly from you regarding your project (can be voice-over)
  • Include 1-3 brief interviews with people you worked with as you carried out your project
  • Must address the following questions:
    – What would you improve with more time?
    – What new skills or concepts have you acquired?
    – What have you learned about yourself based on the experience?

***IMPORTANT*** Please make sure your video is viewable. Please check the share settings before submitting it. You can choose to upload a link to a Google Drive folder containing your video OR you can upload or link a YouTube video you made.

Photo Requirements:

We would love to see evidence of your project and work! Photos could include, but are not limited to: pictures of brochures/handouts/advertisements you created to go with your project, pictures of your physical prototype, if applicable, and pictures of you in action– giving a presentation, working with your community, building your project, etc. You are the magic behind your project– take pride in it and document yourself making a difference, then share it with us!

Please share photos of publish-able image quality of your work. A minimum of 5 photos is required, but more is encouraged. 

Failure to upload images will result in disqualification. Uploading images directly or providing a link to a Google Drive folder of photos is acceptable. Providing photos in a video slideshow, PDF page, PowerPoint, social media account, or any other non-publishable way will result in disqualification. 

Please make sure that you have made your photos and video viewable. We can’t see them if you are the only one with access to them. We’d hate for you to put in so much time and energy to carry out your project and type up your application, only to forget to check the share settings on your files. Such a small misstep could lead to disqualification, so please triple check that your files are viewable.

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Hearing vs. Listening

You finish teaching a lesson and give instructions for the assignment. As usual, you ask if anyone has any questions, and you are met with radio silence. But because you’re a teacher, you know better than to believe that everyone in the class knows exactly what to do. You’ve learned that there are always questions– sometimes it’s because a student is too shy to ask in front of the whole class, and sometimes (or maybe most often), it’s because a student was not listening. They might have heard you talking, but they weren’t really truly paying attention. Repeating instructions 32 times gets exhausting! 

Students often think that hearing is the same thing as listening, when in reality, they are two different things. We hear a lot of things throughout our day. We hear people talking, noisy halls, bells ringing, music playing, and so on. But until we actively hear, we generally don’t truly register what our ears are taking in. Actively hearing – or listening – requires our minds to focus on what is being said or heard so that our brain can make sense of it and understand it. We make a conscious choice to take in the noises and turn it into something more concrete. 

In our classrooms, we can implement different strategies to help our students learn to listen rather than just hear. 

  •  After giving instructions, pick 2-3 students in the room, and call on each one individually and have them tell the class what the instructions were. Knowing they might be called on encourages them to listen more intently so that they can give an accurate answer.
  • Before students begin to work, ask them to turn to a neighbor and retell what the instructions were. They can help each other remember what is to be done. This also encourages students to effectively communicate with each other.
  • Write instructions on the board or display them through the projector– then if they weren’t listening, you don’t have to answer the same question several times, as they will have the instructions right in front of them. 
  • As you give instructions, have them write down the instructions on their own paper. Writing things down helps to create a connection between what is written and remembered. 

While it can be frustrating to have students not listen, it can be a great teaching opportunity, and there are strategies that can help students retrain their minds to be more active listeners. Not only is it a valuable skill to have within the classroom, students can learn that being an active listener is an excellent life skill to have in all areas of life– work, relationships, school, recreational time, and so on. Hearing is good, but listening is great.

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Question of the Day

As teachers, we try to make our classrooms an inviting place to be. We want our students to be excited about learning, and to be engaged in the content we are teaching. We want them to look forward to coming to school. But the reality is that not all of our students will be excited about school. Even still, we must give our best effort to make school as appealing as possible. We can do this through a myriad of ways. Rather than immediately jumping into the lesson for the day, teachers can take a few minutes at the start of class to warm students up and get them ready to learn.

One way to warm up students at the beginning of each class is through simple journal prompts. You don’t have to be a language arts teacher to incorporate journal writing into your curriculum– it can be used in any content area! Giving students a “question of the day” can help them get their minds ready to learn, focus, and participate. The question doesn’t even have to do with the content; it can be a silly, funny, or random question. Regardless of the kind of question it is, giving students a fun way to begin class can help ease them into learning and get them ready to focus. 

You can even go beyond just having them write by having them share their answers with a neighbor, then have a few students share with the class. This can be a fun way for everyone to think about the question in different ways, which encourages critical thinking. It also gets students talking to each other, helping foster class communication and relationships.

Thinking of a question to ask every day can sometimes feel a bit daunting. In case you need some question ideas, I’ve compiled a list for you! You can download the list and print a copy to keep in your files, ready to be used any time you need a question suggestion.

**This download is for personal or classroom use only. Do not sell, repost, or claim as your own.**

Question of the Day-2Download

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Applying for Our Scholarship? Here’s Some Tips!

Attention all graduating seniors! If you are planning on applying for our Build A Better Future Scholarship, this is for you! The final deadline is exactly one month from today! Final applications are due by 11:59 pm MST on Monday, April 13, 2026. Once a week until then, I will be sharing some tips and reminders for you to consider as you get ready to submit your final application.

As you put your project into motion, don’t forget to document your process through pictures and videos! Take pictures of you in action, working on your project. If you have volunteers helping you, snap some pictures of them as they work. If you host any kind of meeting, presentation, workshop, or class, have someone take a short video of you as you do your thing. If your project includes collecting donations of items, don’t forget to take some pictures of the donations that come in. Then, remember to take a picture of you at the place where the donations are being taken. If you think you’ll want a picture of something, take the picture!

One of the requirements for the final application is that you include a minimum of 5-10 pictures of your project in action. We also have a requirement for a short 3-5 minute video to be included with your application. You can certainly put some of your pictures in your video, but we also require that pictures be submitted separately as well. You can find the requirements for the video in our Scholarship Checklist, which can be found at the bottom of this page.

Beyond meeting the requirements for the final submission, having picture and video documentation of your project will provide you with lifelong mementos of the time you spent serving your community, and that is a priceless reminder of time well spent.

Scholarship-Checklist-2Download
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What I Wish You Knew… Teacher Edition

Unless you have been a teacher yourself, it is difficult to truly understand just how much teachers do behind the scenes– the long hours spent planning, grading, and creating, showing up to teach when you don’t feel well, or even the time spent outside of school worrying about their students. Teachers put in so much time and effort, and rarely get the acknowledgement they deserve. 

I asked some teachers to share what they wished parents knew, how parents have supported them, and what support they wish parents would give, and thought I’d share what they had to say!

What are some things you wish parents/guardians knew about you, your job, and/or your efforts?

  • I wish parents knew how many countless hours teachers spend outside of their contract hours. I wish parents knew the time and preparation that goes into setting up a classroom, planning lessons, and preparing for parent teacher conferences. I wish parents knew that I love their kid even when they are difficult. I wish parents knew the sacrifices we make away from our own kids and family to teach theirs. I wish parents knew that we really can tell if they are supporting their child’s education at home. I wish parents knew how many different hats we are expected to wear in one day. I wish parents knew the levels of disrespect happening at such a young age. I wish parents knew how much their child’s behavior affects others. I wish parents knew that we really are just trying to do our best and we are still humans with families and a life outside of the classroom.
  • I wish parents knew that teachers are not the enemy. We want your child to succeed, but when you don’t hold them accountable at home and don’t treat their education or the school’s time as valuable, your child sees it and develops the same impression. How you treat their teachers and education models how they feel about school.
  • How much screen time at home impacts student learning at school!
  • That we really are trying to do what’s best.

What are some ways parents/guardians have supported you in your classroom and teaching?

  • Asking if they could volunteer or asking how they could help, sending supplies, responding to emails or phone calls in a timely manner, giving feedback when I’ve asked for it and having open communication in general. If they know their child will be gone, help the student approach me so they learn those skills, but also help facilitate and follow through with me too. Your child is just that, a child. They need parents and teachers to work together.
  • I have had such amazing parents who have supported me in so many ways. Honestly, my favorite is just when parents are involved and paying attention to what’s going on at school.
  • Be involved. Sign up for things that the teacher puts out there. Come to parent teacher conferences. A simple thank you goes such a long ways.
  • Volunteering on field trips/class parties, donating supplies, working with their children at home on math & reading.
  • Parents have supported me by helping their child succeed at home which transfers to the classroom.

What are some ways you wish parents/guardians would offer/provide more support to you?

  • Ask their student to try and resolve the issue, whatever it may be, with the teacher first. If they need help, by all means… assist, but don’t do everything for them. Even if it’s an email to the teacher letting them know the situation and that you’re hoping the child approaches you. Model good relationships and communication between two adults.
  • Read the emails, be involved with your child’s learning, come to parent teacher conferences. Be patient with us. Teach your children respect and have that be the bare minimum expectation.
  • Continue to support their child by encouraging or setting up home routines that check their grades to keep them accountable and responsible and completing daily reading at home.
  • Making sure their child isn’t chronically absent, encouraging their child to read at home.
  • Pay attention and be involved.

Teachers cannot do it alone! Parent support is absolutely crucial for student success. Parent support is incredibly helpful to teachers, too. Not all parents have the time or resources to be in the classroom volunteering, but all parents can take a few minutes to read emails or papers sent home, as well as to be aware of what is happening at and with school. 


At the end of the day, parents and teachers both want the same thing– for students to succeed and be good people. Working together to achieve this is so much more effective than putting the responsibility all on one party. After all, team work makes the dream work!

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Book Summaries, But Make Them Relatable

Have you ever read a book so good you couldn’t put it down? You devoured the story line, related with the characters, and could imagine the whole plot in your mind- it was SO good. Then, a week after you finished it, your friend asks you what your favorite part of the book was or what it was about, and you are completely stumped. For the life of you, you cannot remember any details– just a simple plot summary. 

I know I can’t be the only one who has had this kind of thing happen to them. I think that this happens to us as adults because of a few reasons: we’re reading through material fairly quickly, which doesn’t give our brains enough time to fully process and store what we read, we have so many other things competing for mental storage space as adults that the details of a story often get pushed out, or maybe our reading is interrupted. Perhaps one of the biggest reasons this happens is that we subconsciously know we aren’t being tested or graded on what we read like we were when we were in school, so our brains kind of filter out the smaller details, without any real effort from us. When there are higher stakes, we tend to focus on something more intently, and therefore remember more about it. In school, we often ask students to write down things about their reading– because we know it will help them retain information better. 

Giving them an assignment associated with the reading makes them accountable and will help encourage more active reading. But just taking notes on a story sounds kind of boring, if I’m being honest. If we make it relatable and/or engaging, students are more likely to remember and make sense of what they read– and they are more likely to want to participate in the assignment. When students write down information, it creates a mental connection, which helps to cement information in their minds.

I’ve created two different worksheets you can print off and use. Each worksheet uniquely asks students to recall information from their reading, and does so in an engaging way. Feel free to print them off and use them with your classes. Both worksheets would be most effective for students in upper elementary grades or students in middle/junior high.

**Downloads are intended for classroom or personal use only. They are not to be sold, reposted, or claimed as your own.**

Plot SquaresDownload
Character Text ThreadDownload