An Egg is Quiet
by Diana Hutts Aston
illustrated by Sylvia Long
An Egg Is Quiet
The text is poetic and lyrical and the ink and watercolor illustrations are detailed and stunning. The combination of the two captivates the attention and imagination of readers and encourage young naturalist to appreciate the beauty of the world around them.
An intriguing book for readers of all ages, it can be read as a cozy, quiet read-aloud by focusing on the main text. For more in-depth learning, spend time reading the captions and supporting text on each page. Either way, this is a book that will be enjoyed often and on many levels for years to come!
In This Issue
More books in this series:
What's Under the Shell?
This is a fun and easy experiment to do with budding scientist to find out what an egg looks like without its shell.
Why We Like It
- Science experiments are fun!
- Experiments build observation skills, language skills, processing and critical thinking skills and encourage kids to be curious, active learners.
What's Under the Shell
What You Will Need
How To Do It
- 1 egg
Note – Although only 1 egg is needed to complete the experiment, it never hurts to use 2 in case a mishap occurs.- 1 glass container to hold the egg
- Vinegar
- Place the egg in the glass container.
- Cover the egg with vinegar and place it in the refrigerator.
- Check back a bit later to observe the vinegar starting to bubble and go to work on the egg.
- The next day pour out the vinegar and replace it with a fresh dose.
- The following day pour out the vinegar and remove the egg from the container. It any shell remains, rub it off and carefully rinse off the egg. Hold the egg up to light and the yolk will be visible. Gently drop it from an inch or two and watch it bounce.
Day 1
Day 2
Day 2: time to change vinegar
Day 3: ready to be rinsed
Day 3: Shell completely dissolved
Build Like a Bird: Build a Bird's Nest
Not only are eggs amazing, but the nests that birds build are equally fascinating. The craftsmanship and durability rival anything built by human hands and the birds do it without a single trip to Home Depot.
Even though spring officially arrived over a week ago our weather refuses to give up its winter ways so our trees are still bare making it easy to spot nests left over from last year. Despite enduring months of rain, snow and sleet, they still look to be intact and completely habitable. How do the birds do it? Grab your nature tote and go on an expedition to collect nest-building supplies and then see what your young reader builds. Leaves, twigs, straw, yarn scraps, dryer lint, and pine needles are a few suggestions. My dog and horse even graciously donated some of their hair to add to creation.
Build Like a Bird: Build Your Own Bird's Nest
Supplies
- Container for mixing... we used a broken plastic bowl
- Dirt
- Water
- Nest supplies: mulch, hay, yarn and thread scraps, leaves, twigs, dryer lint, etc.
- Rock for eggs
- After gathering the building supplies, dig up some nice dirt, add a little water, and stir it up until you have lovely mud to use as your glue.
- Add your collected supplies a few at a time to the mud and stir to coat.
- Once everything is coated, shape the nest and let it sit to dry and harden.
- Fill with rock for eggs. You can also paint the rocks to look like eggs, but I found some that were rather egg-shaped and speckled!
Eggs in a Nest Bread
I've always enjoyed those pretty loaves of bread studded with brightly colored Easter eggs, although I've never made one before. This seemed like the perfect recipe to celebrate An Egg is Quiet. What's unique about this recipe is that you place the eggs in the bread uncooked, and they then become "hard-boiled" in the oven.
You can dye the eggs if you like, but I like how the natural brown eggs look with the cinnamon topping, just like eggs sitting on a perfect, round nest. This makes it a perfect treat for any time of year, not just at Easter.
Now, what to do with those hard-boiled eggs? Deviled Egg Dip is delicious (and addictive) alternative to the traditional egg salad. And don't forget, those egg shells can be used as art supplies!
Eggs in a Nest Bread
Ingredients
For the Bread
- 3 teaspoons instant or fast-acting yeast
- 4 cups all purpose flour (you can substitute 1/2 white whole wheat, if you want)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 1/2 cups warm water (around 110-115 degrees Fahrenheit)
- 3 to 6 raw eggs
For the Egg Wash and Cinnamon Topping
- 1 egg
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- In the bowl of a food processor, combine yeast, flour, salt, and sugar. Process until combined.
- With machine running, slowly pour in warm water. Once water is added, continue processing until dough comes together into a ball, around 30-45 seconds.
- Place dough in an oiled bowl and cover with a flour sack towel or plastic wrap. Let rise in a warm place for 1 hour or until doubled.
- Heat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. After dough has risen, punch down. Place on a piece of parchment paper, and divide into two equal pieces. Make two long, skinny ropes of dough, around 20 inches long.
- Bring the two ropes together and twist all the way down. Form twist into a ring, and place on the parchment paper on a baking sheet.
- Nestle eggs in between twists of dough.
- Make the egg wash: Beat 1 egg with 1 tablespoon water. Brush all over formed loaf.
- Make cinnamon-sugar topping: Stir together cinnamon and sugar. Sprinkle over bread.
- Bake bread for 25 to 30 minutes, until golden brown.
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