Introduction
Easter day represents one of the most important religious festivities. Nowadays, million families celebrate it.
It is a special celebration for children, Easter Bunny and the time to play decorating and looking for Easter eggs is about to come.
Backgrounds
The Bunny, as Easter symbol, seems to have its origin in Germany, where precisely the first edible bunnies of baking and sugar were made. The eggs decoration comes from the belief that if children behaved well, the bunny would put colored eggs.
In that time, children built nests in places very far from home, granary or garden in order that the bunny put its eggs. Later, the elaborate baskets making tradition to put the eggs within them started.
For all this, we decided to carry out five activities in order that children learn the meaning of this festivity in a funny way.
The activities schedule will last one week and it will be divided in two or three hour’s lessons approximately.
The activities that will be carried out are the following:
Activity 1
1. Activity name: ‘Easter Biscuits’
2. Aims:
- To share with children the knowledge and the pleasure to experiment with food and cooking.
- To encourage them to touch, look, smell, crumble and try without problems and, in that way,develop the cognitive processes (manipulate, mix, separate…)
- To motivate sensitivity and curiosity towards food.
3. Addressee:
3.1. Number of people: Approximately 13 children and 2 teachers.
3.2. Age: From 3 years.
4. Activity procedure:
The teacher will give each child a bowl and a wooden spoon (before handing out the bowls, the teacher should put the appropriate proportion of butter, sugar and flour within them) and they will tell the children that they should mix the contents with the spoon. After that, the teacher will check that a compact dough has been done and the children should roll out it with a rolling pin. Afterwards, the teacher will leave the doughs in the fridge for 2 or 3 hours.
We will use this 2 or 3 hours to carry out other activity related to the topic. The teachers will explain to the children the sense of the festivity and they will give the children an Easter Bunnies and Eggs worksheet to decorate it as they like.
After 2 or 3 hours, the teachers will take out the doughs from the fridge and they will give them back to the children. Then, the children should roll out the dough again until thin. After that, the dough will be cut with the baking pan form that they choose and the teacher will be responsible for baking them 15 minutes approximately.
Finally, each child will be responsible to decorate it as he or she like.
5. Material resources:
- 200 grames of butter approximately.
- 80 grames of icing sugar approximately.
- 250 grames of flour approximately.
- Decorating items as: candies, sprinkles and chocolate sprinkles, caramel pearls, chocolate pearls, etc.
- Vegetable colouring
- Easter baking pans (a bunny, an egg…)
- Rolling pin
- Bowl
- Wooden spoon
- Oven
6. Activity length:
The activity length will be 4 hours, because the dough should be some time in the fridge and during that time we will carry out other activity to keep the children entertained.
7. Evaluation:
- Has the knowledge and pleasure of experimenting with food been shared with the children?
- Have the children been encouraged to touch, look, smell, crumble and try with no problem?
- Has their sensitivity and curiosity towards food been motivated?
Easter biscuits
Colouring worksheets
By: Mar Acosta López -> http://miblogdeingles19.blogspot.com/
Activity 2
1. Activity name: “Easter Eggs’
2. Aims:
To develop children’s creativity.
· To create a fun atmosphere.
· To learn the colors in English.
· To understand the sense of the Easter egg.
3. Addressee:
3.1. Number of people: Approximately 13 children y 2 teachers.
3.2. Age: From 3 years.
4. Activity procedure:
The teacher will bring the eggs ready (previously boiled), and he/she will give one to each child. The teacher will fill plastic cups with water, only halfway with water, and he/she will add a vinegar spoonful in each cup and a different tempera color (primary colors). The children will have to draw a picture on the egg with crayons, and then insert it in the color glass that they choose and leave it there between 5 and 10 minutes approximately. The egg will come out painted with the color that they chose and with the picture that they drew previously.
Finally, the teacher will leave the eggs on a cardboard to let them dry.
5. Material resources:
- Boiled eggs.
- White crayons.
- Temperas.
- Plastic cups.
- Vinegar.
6. Activity lenght:
Approximately two hours.
7. Evaluation:
- Have they learnt the primary colors in English?
- Do they recognize the colors?
- Have they been independent, or they often required adult assistance?
- Did they have fun?
8. Appendix
Decorated Easter Eggs
1. Activity name: “Easter basket”
2. Aims:
- To encourage creativity and imagination.
- To learn art material names in English (scissors, rubber, pencils, etc.)
- To learn how to share with partners.
- To develop the fine motor skill.
- To spend a good time.
3. Addressee:
3.1. Number of people: Approximately 13 children y 2 teachers.
3.2. Age: From 3 years.
4. Activity procedure:
In this activity the children will make a basket, with the teachers’ help, to carry the Easter eggs and biscuits made in the previous activities to the “Picnic on the beach”.
A cardboard box (it can be a biscuits package) or cards will be used.
1st. The children will cut the cardboard or cards ends into stripes with plastic scissors (which are not dangerous).
2nd. The children will place a strip up and the next to it down, and so on.
3rd. With teachers’ help, the children will stick with glue a cardboard or card strip at the bottom around all the strips.
4th. They will stick strips up on the cardboard or card strip that they stuck in the previous step in order to cover the eggs.
5th. Every hole of the box will be covered. Stick the basket handle from one side to the other. Finally, the children could decorate it with magazine cut outs and place pieces of natural branches inside (where the egg will be placed).
By: Rocío Pascual Mellinas -> http://rocioeducation.blogspot.com
Activity 4
1. Activity name: ‘Hide-and-seek in the countryside’
2. Aims:
- To find the items hidden by the teachers.
- To follow the guidelines and clues provided by the teachers.
- To create a pleasant atmosphere.
3. Addresse:
3.1. Number of people: Approximately 13 children y 2 teachers.
3.2. Age: From 3 years.
4. Activity procedure:
The activity will consist of going on a trip to the countryside where a game named “hide-and-seek” will be carried out. The children will bring the eggs that they decorated in the previous activity and the teachers will be in charge of hiding the eggs that the children will have to find later. Once the teachers’ task is carried out, they will help children with clues and advices using English essential and easy vocabulary about the place where they can find the eggs. The activity will finish when one the children finds his/her egg the first and he/she will be the winner.
5. Material resources:
- The children’s decorated eggs from the previous activity.
6. Activity lenght:
Approximately between half an hour and 45 minutes.
7. Evaluation:
- Did they know how to follow the teachers’ guidelines?
- Did they like the activity?
- Did they have fun?
8. Appendix.
By: Miriam Orquin Lloret -> http://miriamorquin.blogspot.com/
Activity 5
Activity 5
1. Activity name: ’Picnic on the beach’
2. Aims:
- To enjoy the picnic.
- To create a funny atmosphere.
- To have fun with classmates and teachers.
3. Addressee:
3.1. Number of people: Approximately 13 children y 2 teachers.
3.2. Age: From 3 years.
4. Activity procedure:
This activity will consist of going on a trip to the beach. As it is the last activity that will be carried out in this Easter planning, both children and teachers will enjoy a picnic with the food made in the previous activities; the biscuits and the eggs will be carried with the basket created by the them.
In order that the children learn essential and easy English vocabulary, teachers will sing a song in order that they break the egg in a partner’s forehead.
Here comes Easter Bunny, with the Easter egg,
That I break on your forehead!
(Aquí viene el conejo de Pascua, con el huevo de Pascua,
Que rompo en tu frente!)
5. Material resources:
- The Easter eggs
- The Easter biscuits
- The Easter basket
- The Easter song
6. Activity lenght:
Approximately 2 hours.
7. Evaluation:
- Did they enjoy the picnic?
- Did they learn the Easter song?
- Did they have fun?
By: Andrea Loyola Valladolid -> http://childeducationalv.blogspot.com/
English contents that we want to teach the kids:
- English vocabulary of Activity 1 “Easter biscuits”
In this activity we want to teach them Easy vocabulary adapted to their age, in this case it will be related to food.
Vocabulary: Biscuit, spoon, butter, sugar, bunny and egg.
- English Vocabulary of Activity 2 “Easter Eggs”
In this activity we will teach them the primary colors in English.
Vocabulary: red, blue, yellow, pink, green...
- English vocabulary of Activity 3 “Easter basket”
In this activity we will teach them art names in English. Moreover, we will reinforce the colors vocabulary learning that we taught in the previous activity.
Vocabulary: Scissors, glue, rubber, pencils, crayons, etc.
- English vocabulary of Activity 4 “Hide-and-seek in the countryside”
In this activity we will teach them some basic directions adapted to their age.
Vocabulary: Right, left, up, down, in front of, behind.
- English vocabulary of Activity 5 “Picnic on the beach”
In this activity we will review the previously learnt English vocabulary. Therefore, we will check if they have learnt it and if we have achieved our aims.
Vocabulary: Previous activities vocabulary review.
English's work by Rocío Pascual Mellinas, Mar Acosta López, Míriam Orquín Lloret, Laura Terol Gomis and Andrea Loyola Valladolid.
