P. Zonka and Pysanky Eggs with Kindergarten

Paschkis, Julie. P. Zonka Lays an
Egg. Peachtree, 2015.

P. Zonka is a hen who spends her days daydreaming and admiring nature around her. With all the beauty around her, she has never taken the time to lay an egg. The other hens think that P. Zonka is just plain lazy. Finally, P. Zonka decides to give this egg laying a try. To everyone's amazement, her eggs are dazzling!

With Easter coming just around the corner, this book is a perfect read aloud. The illustrations are beautiful, and the rooster, Gloria, makes for a hilarious addition to the story. The kids love it when the reader makes the loud "Cock-a-doodle-doo" sound. 

Psyanky 

After reading the story, I tell the students about the Ukranian tradition of making psyanky, which is a Ukranian Easter Egg. The decorations are always elaborate on, and often depict different aspects of nature. In P. Zonka's egg, you can see the red tulips, yellow sunshine, sky dark blue at midnight, and the green grass that she admired so often. 

Then, students were able to decorate their own eggs. Some students used patterns and geometric shapes, while others used P. Zonka's ideas and drew their favorite flowers and things in nature. 

This student drew here friends and the sun. 

You can find more activities, as well as this one, in this event kit by the publisher.  This download also has a description of psyanky.