Celebrate Dr. Seuss with Green-Shelled Eggs

What kind of chicken lays green eggs? Our chickens! Araucanas and Ameraucanas are two of the best known breeds that lay blue, green, and even pinkish eggs. We ordered them from Murray McMurray Hatchery and they have a wonderful video children would enjoy on how they raise chicken..

We have found that McMurray’s has healthy chicks and they even throw in a few extra including an “exotic” bird (the rooster in photo). We have no idea what kind of bird our rooster is but he protects his hens, struts around looking beautiful, and is our “natural” alarm clock waking us every morning with his cockadoodle-dooing. There are thousands of birds species listed on The Feather Site.

 

Our daughter raises chicks and sells them when they are about six weeks old. She also sells eggs promoting them as "Free Range" meaning her chickens are free to roam in a fenced-in area rather than being raised in crowded, sometimes not too sanitary, conditions. Our chicks have had immunizations so they are not truly “organic” according to some, although they have a healthy diet of chicken feed and our leftovers (except meat which the dog loves) so no food goes to waste at our humble "farm." Sarah’s eggs are in demand because they taste delicious and many people, including us, believe them to be healthier than store-bought eggs (brighter yolk color and more flavorful).

It is becoming more popular to raise chickens, even in cities. Roosters may not be permitted by code but hens are not as noisy. Perhaps you could split an order with some friends or buy a few at the feed store. They are usually guaranteed to be 90-99% females. Rhode Island Reds are good layers (the brown ones in photo). Brody is holding "Hattie" named after Hattie and the Fox by Mem Fox, a wonderful children's author. After we mail ordered our chicks, we called the post office and told them we were expecting chicks in the mail. The PO called us at 6:15am (yes, that’s AM) a few days later to tell us they had arrived. My husband hurried over to pick them up and every chick was alive and well.

How do newly born chicks survive a 2-3 day travel? Mother nature takes care of them. Just before chicks hatch, they draw into the abdomen the yolk of an egg. Rich in food value and liquid, the yolk provides the newly-hatched chick with all it needs to eat and drink for over three days. 


MAKING SCRAMBLED EGGS GREEN

I used an electric skillet when I taught kindergartens to make green eggs and ham. First, I melted real butter in an electric skillet and sautéed hunks of ham. After washing their hands, each child broke one egg in a bowl (I picked out the egg shells). We beat the eggs which made them a yellow mixture. The Super Star put a few drops of  blue food coloring into the egg mixture to make them green. Blue + yellow = green. 

Many children were squeamish about eating green eggs. They did look strange. But I encouraged them to try just one bite. We also had toast. Once a few children agreed that they were good, the rest of the children dove in and smacked their lips even wanting more. Did you know that children who are eating talk less? Aaaahh. The peace and quiet of good food is worth it's weight in gold.


RAISING ANIMALS HELPS CHILDREN LEARN

Children, including those with SPECIAL NEEDS, enjoy taking care of animals.Most pets bond closely with their owner, have kind spirits, are wonderful listeners, and love to be petted (except fish). Taking care of animals teaches:

• Responsibility: Animals need to be cared for including food, water, shelter, and grooming.
• Math: Selling eggs, buying food & supplies, keeping ledger to post how many sold and the price
• Reading/Writing: Keeping a calendar on the day the chicks arrive and when they can be released with the older hens (six weeks later), journal or diary writing, reading books on the care of pets.

[The small egg by Cat's hand is a guinea egg.]

DR. SEUSS ACTIVITIES

• PBS Kids has a Cat in the Hathathon  to celebrate Dr. Seuss' birthday plus many educational games and activities are offered on this site.
• Squigly’s Playhouse offers children's jokes and riddles such as "Why did the rooster cross the road? To cockadoodle - doooo something."
• This would be a good week to practice the CHICKEN DANCE in preparation for Easter activities. This YouTube video offers a great version for exercising to music on Just Dance Kids.

Would you like a glimpse into Kindergarten? See Kindergarten: Tattle-Tales, Tools, Tactics, Triumphs and Tasty Treats for Teachers and Parents. Moms of Preschoolers - let me help save your sanity, one project at a time with The Happy Mommy Handbook: The Ultimate How-to Guide on Keeping Your Toddlers and Preschoolers Busy, Out of Trouble and Motivated to Learn. Both are bestsellers and also available on Barnes & Noble and Kobo. 

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Why fit in when you were born to stand out?
~Dr. Seuss 

How do you like to celebrate the world of Dr. Seuss?