Maggie’s
Activity Pack
Name __________________________
Date ___________________________
That’s ‘EGG’sactly Right!
In the spring you will see eggs of many sizes and colors – if you look
closely at nature! That’s right, birds, turtles, snakes, even alligators lay eggs
that are an array of color. Sizes vary from the giant ostrich egg to the tiny
hummingbird egg.
As you do these math problems, you will learn more about the many
kinds of eggs that are just waiting to hatch!
1.
The ostrich lays a huge egg. It may weigh in at 1700 grams. Its length is
150 millimeters and the width is 135 millimeters. The female ostrich may lay
many eggs at a time. Other female ostriches may lay their eggs in the same
nest.
Bee hummingbird eggs are very tiny. These jelly bean-like eggs weigh only about 0.5
grams. They are about 13 millimeters long and 8 millimeters wide.
There is a big difference between the sizes of these two eggs. Complete the chart.
Difference in
length
Difference in
width
Difference in
weight
Comparison of Ostrich
Eggs and Bee
Hummingbird Eggs
2.
The word kiwi is interesting. Some people think it’s the name of a fruit. But it’s not. The
word for that fruit is really kiwifruit! Kiwi is the term for people from New Zealand. Kiwi is also
the name of a bird. This flightless bird makes its home in New Zealand. The people of this
island country protect their shy nocturnal bird. Kiwis are endangered because mammals were
brought to New Zealand. Creatures like rats make a meal of kiwi eggs. It’s important that each
greenish-white egg be protected.
A kiwi lays the biggest egg compared to its body size and weight. A female kiwi might
weigh 4 kilograms and be as tall as 50 centimeters. Her egg is about 12 centimeters long. It
weighs about one gram.
A. How much taller is the mother kiwi than her precious egg? ________________________
B. About how many kiwi eggs would equal the weight of mother kiwi? __________________
© Maggie's Earth Adventures, LLC 2006. Teachers may reproduce for classroom use.
3.
Turtles also lay eggs. Sea turtles come ashore in certain spots to lay their eggs. They
crawl up on the beach and deposit eggs in the sand. A large female sea turtle may lay as
many as 150 leathery eggs that are about 38 millimeters long.
Will a boy or girl hatch from a sea turtle egg? The answer depends on the temperature
of the sand where the egg sits until it is time to hatch. Cool sand means more males!
You don’t have to go to the seashore to find turtle eggs. Many pond turtles lay their
eggs in the spring, too. Painted turtles lay eggs that are 25.4 millimeters in length.
How much longer is a sea turtle egg than a painted turtle egg? ________________________
4.
The Canada Goose can be heard honking as it flies with its flock back to its nesting
grounds in the north. The female Canada Goose lays 5 to 7 white eggs in a ground nest made
of grass and other plant material. She always makes the nest in the same area where she was
hatched. Her mate stands guard near the nest to protect the eggs that are 87 millimeters long
by 58 millimeters wide.
How much longer is a kiwi egg than a Canada Goose egg? ______________________
(Think about the relationship between centimeters and millimeters!)
5.
Some birds lay only one precious egg. The female Emperor penguin lays just one very
large egg in May or June. She then leaves the male in charge and goes off to look for food. He
takes good care of this 470 gram egg in the frigid Antarctic air!
In much warmer climates, the flamingo is also laying only one egg. This egg may be as
large as 90 millimeters long and weigh about 140 grams.
How much more does an Emperor penguin egg weigh than a flamingo egg?
______________________________
6.
Not all eggs are white. Some eggs may be speckled to help hide them from predators.
Other birds lay beautiful blue eggs. The bluebird and robin are two of these birds. We even
describe a shade of blue as “robin’s egg blue.” Many people wonder why these birds produce
blue eggs. Some biologists think it is because certain birds may be nest parasites. They lay
their eggs in a robin’s nest. The female robin can easily tell her beautiful blue egg from the
eggs of other birds that may try to sneak an egg in for her to raise!
Take a look at these notes about the sizes of robin and bluebird eggs.
Bluebird eggs - 21 mm long
by 16 mm wide
Robin eggs – 2 cm long
by 1.5 cm wide
A. How much longer is a bluebird’s egg than
a robin’s egg ? __________________mm
B. How much wider is a bluebird’s egg than
a robin’s egg? __________________ mm
© Maggie's Earth Adventures, LLC 2006. Teachers may reproduce for classroom use.
Dear Colleague,
What an ‘eggs’traordinary time of year to highlight the egg! So many wonderful activities come
to mind. Why not have your students make a large chart showing the size comparisons of the eggs that
were mentioned in this article. You can find out about other eggs, too. I’m sure some children would
LOVE to discover that the American alligator lays about 35 eggs that are each approximately 3 inches
long. What if you put these 35 eggs end to end in a line? Use that important skill of estimating and have
students approximate what that line might be equal to in your classroom – a wall, the bulletin board?
Having students “see” measurement in action is an important skill. We know many state tests require
the making or interpretation of charts and graphs. You can create a class chart showing the egg sizes
in problems 1 – 6. Order the sizes from smallest to largest. Have children write their own math
problems based on this chart.
You may also want to integrate this ‘eggs’ tra special activity with art – and a bit of science!
Have your class research the type of nest specific animals build along with the appearance of their
eggs. Use clay, Spanish moss, bits of sticks, etc. to make the nests. Children may shape the egg from
correctly colored clay or even papier mache. Of course, in our zeal to integrate the curriculum, we see
math (measurement and correspondence) and writing as perfect connectors. Students can either write
a nonfiction paragraph about their nest and egg or they can write a sequence paragraph telling how this
was constructed. Perhaps you even want a few fiction stories…how about ‘A Day in the Life of an
Osprey’? Wow – an osprey nest would prove to be a challenge for a group of students.
You may also want to have children read about Rachael Carson and other scientists whose
detective techniques helped us to find out the harmful effects of DDT on egg shells. I remember
tromping around tern colonies many years with my husband as he studied the effects of environmental
pollutants on egg shells. It’s a fascinating study and one that lends itself well to many curricular areas.
Remember to check out cultural connections of eggs. Our Russian friends paint beautiful eggs.
You’ll find an activity about this in our archive. So much to do, so little time…Happy Egg hunting for the
perfect egg activity for your class!
Happy teaching,
Kathy
Answer Key:
1.
Comparison of Ostrich Eggs and
Bee Hummingbird Eggs
Difference in
length
137 millimeters
Difference in width
Difference in weight
127 millimeters
1699.5 grams
2. A. 38 centimeters
B. 4 eggs
3. 12.6 millimeters (Problems such as this one will give you an indication of children can ignore data not
needed to calculate the answer.)
4. 33 millimeters or 3.3 centimeters (This type of problem allows you to assess if your students are able
to look for and locate needed information.)
5. 330 grams
6. A. 1 mm
B. 1 mm
Goals:
Students will read the description of several species’ eggs. They will use this information in math
problems to compare the size of eggs such as penguin and flamingo eggs. Egg differences such as
color are also presented. Students at the intermediate level will solve addition and subtraction problems
that include simple decimals. A basic understanding of how metric units (millimeters and centimeters)
© Maggie's Earth Adventures, LLC 2006. Teachers may reproduce for classroom use.
relate to each other is assumed. Primary level students use whole numbers. Charts are included and all
measurement units are given in the metric system.
© Maggie's Earth Adventures, LLC 2006. Teachers may reproduce for classroom use.