Here are three different options for creating a craft with an animal hatching from an egg. You can use this for hatching birds, reptiles, insects, amphibians, or fish.

Paper Egg Pocket

Here is a free printable activity. Print on cardstock. (Or if you don’t have a printer, these are easy to free hand draw.) Kids choose an animal, cut it out and color it. Then they cut out a paper egg, cut it in half, join the halves together with a brad (paper fastener). Put a line of glue just along the bottom edge of the bottom half of the egg, and glue it to the cardstock. This makes a “pocket” to tuck the animal into. The top half opens and closes to reveal or hide the animal. (Idea sources: 1, 2, 3)

 

Pop Up Hatchling

Cut out a cardstock egg. Color it in, then cut it in half with a jagged line like it’s cracked open. Draw a hatching (bird or other critter of your choice) on cardstock and cut it out. Now, glue the critter to a craft stick with the top half of the egg above its head.

Take a half paper plate (or cardstock) and decorate it like a nest. Slice a hole in it to slip the craft stick through. Then glue the bottom half of the egg just below that slit – you’ll need to work to line it up just right, so when you pull the craft stick down, the critter is hidden “inside the egg”, and when you raise it up, you can see the critter.

Folded Paper Eggs

Step 1: Take paper and fold it to the back and then to the front.

Step 2: Now draw a critter of your choice (or an egg!) on the folded paper and then unfold the paper to draw the inside part

For lots more egg-themed STE(A)M activities, see: Egg Science.