Episode 103: Egg-cellent Alphabet Hunt Introduction Have your own alphabet egg scavenger hunt to help your child learn to write and identify letters and form words. Materials: • white paper • scissors (*to used by adults only) • crayons • markers • pencil Directions: • Place 5 sheets of paper together in a pile. On the top page, trace or draw 4 ovals onto your white paper. Have an adult cut out the ovals. You can also choose to cut fewer eggs and only find some of the letters and words. • Now, using your 20 'eggs' have your child write the following letters on the eggs. If your child is younger, draw the letters yourself with dotted lines and have your child trace the letters. Each egg should only have one letter: o A-P-P-L-E o C-H-E-E-R o S-L-I-D-E o H-O-R-S-E • Now you can decorate your eggs. Make sure not to cover the letters. Color them with your crayons and markers. • After you are done decorating them, hide the eggs so your child/children will have to find them throughout your house or in your backyard. Then send your child on an egg hunt to collect all of the alphabet eggs. • After you have all of the eggs. Put all of the egg letters down on the table. Have your child spell the words we used to help Humpty Dumpty: o APPLE o CHEER o SLIDE o HORSE Take it further: • Make additional eggs and find the letters to the words: o L-A-D-D-E-R o L-E-T-T-U-C-E o R-A-D-I-S-H • What other words can you spell with your eggs? See how many words you can make. • Make the entire alphabet. Put them all in order and call out a letter and ask your child to find it. • Use the entire alphabet. Now how many words can you spell? • Using the eggs, have your child spell his or her name. Have your child spell and put together the names of your family members. • For a greater challenge, ask your child to find letters by asking your child what letters make each sound. "What letter makes the sound.?" • For younger children, an easier version of this game is to write the entire word on each egg. Then have your child watch the Humpty Dumpty Episode with the eggs and have him or her hold up the egg with the word that relates. To take this further, write other words your child uses everyday and have him or her watch TV. Have your child hold up the words whenever they relate to what they are watching. • Make other themed Alphabet Egg Hunts by using other words: o 'Cheering' Words . Y-O-U . C-A-N . D-O . I-T . G-R-E-A-T . G-O-O-D o Transportation . C-A-R . T-R-U-C-K . T-R-A-I-N . B-I-K-E o Colors . RED . BLUE . GREEN . YELLOW • Use the themes above or make some of your own themes, to have an egg hunt at your next birthday party. • Make your Easter Egg Hunt a Easter Egg Word or Letter Hunt. Write words or letters on your Easter Eggs when you are decorating them. .