Children will explore the Sun's role in sustaining life on Earth, including the fruits and vegetables we eat.

The Sun Egg

LESSON 5

  • The book “The Sun Egg,” by Elsa Beskow

  • Gather materials for one or both activities. We split the activities into two days and did both.

Citrus suncatchers

  • At least one or more of the following: Oranges, grapefruit, lime, or lemons.

  • Knife for adult use

  • Cutting board

  • Baking sheet

  • Oven or dehydrator

  • String (we used sewing thread)

  • Child safe sewing needle

  • Something to hang your suncatcher from (embroidery ring, stick, hanger, etc.)

Orange Sherbet

  • 2 cups freshly squeezed orange juice

  • 1 tablespoon of orange zest

  • 1 cup of granulated sugar

  • ½ cup of heavy cream

  • ½ cup of milk

  • Recipe linked here.

More orange recipes linked here.

Materials

  • Gather materials

  • Read through the story beforehand. Elsa Beskow, born in 1874, was a Swedish author and illustrator renowned for her illustrations and contributions to children's literature. As I read this translated and somewhat dated story, I chose to tell it in my own words to my children. This approach kept them more engaged compared to reading it verbatim. I also made some edits to improve comprehension and ensure a kind and suitable story experience.

Preparations

  • Present the story "The Sun Egg" in an engaging manner.

  • Facilitate a reflective discussion, asking questions about the story to encourage critical thinking and comprehension.

  • Emphasize the importance of sunlight in plant growth and its role in everyday life.

  • Guide and assist children in the orange activities, ensuring safe and age-appropriate participation.

  • Celebrate each child's finished dried citrus sun catcher, and/or orange sherbet treat.

Objectives for Teachers

  • Children listen to the story "The Sun Egg," engaging their imagination and curiosity.

  • Children understand the significance of sunlight in the growth of oranges and other plants.

  • Children participate in the process of making orange sherbet.

  • Children foster a positive relationship with cooking and food exploration.

  • Children practice fine motor skills as they carefully thread the suncatchers.

Objectives for Children

Collect and Connect

  • Practice saying the poem “Golden Sun” with the actions you came up with. 

Golden Sun

Great, glorious, golden sun

Shine down on me today

You are the light of all this earth

You can your magic ray

You are the life of bird and plant

All must depend on you

Shine down, great sun, the whole day long

Shine from the heaven’s blue

And I will welcome your golden rays

For you mean life to me

And you mean happiness and health

Strength and energy

Shine down, great sun, on flower and field

And never say goodbye

Forever and ever give us your light

From out the wide, blue sky

Activity Flow

  1. Find a cozy spot to introduce the story "The Sun Egg" by Elsa Beskow. This story follows a little elf who lives in the woods, known for her kindness in helping creatures. One day, while walking, she discovers a large egg and sets out to find its owner. Let's join her adventure and see if she can find who the egg belongs to.

  2. Read or retell the story "The Sun Egg" to your child in your own words. For this particular story, I found that paraphrasing keeps children more engaged than reading it word-for-word. I also made some edits to enhance understanding and ensure a gentle and enjoyable storytelling experience.

  3. After reading, reflect on the story together:

  • What did they discover about the egg?

  • How did the orange taste?

  • Who stole the orange and made the little elf sad?

  • What idea cheered up the little elf?

  • Why did little elf and mistle-thrush have to leave the woods to find oranges? (because oranges need a lot of sun and warmth to grow, and the woods get too cold)

  • How did her friends feel when she returned home to the woods?

  • Where did the egg from the beginning of the story come from?

4. Tell your child that you think Sun Egg is the perfect name for an orange because they need a lot of sunlight and warmth to grow. Then ask them what else needs sunlight to grow?

5. Talk about how all plants rely on sunlight to grow. If we didn’t have the sun, we wouldn’t have any of the fruits and vegetables we enjoy every day. The sun is very important!

6. Next, work together to do one or both of the orange activities. We split them over two days: first, drying the orange slices, and then finishing the sun catchers the following day while waiting for our orange sherbet to freeze.

Citrus Sun Catcher

  1. If using an oven to dry your orange slices, preheat the oven to 200 F.

  2. First, thinly slice the citrus into round slices. This is best done by an adult. If the slices are too thick they don’t dry very well.

  3. Use a paper towel to dab the slices and soak up as much moisture as you can from each one.

  4. Place the citrus slices on a baking sheet or in a dehydrator.

  5. Dry in the oven for up to 4 hours, make sure to check periodically so that they don’t burn. If using a dehydrator follow the instruction manual for drying fruits.

  6. After drying in the oven you may want to leave them on the baking sheet to dry and set overnight.

  7. Once you have your dried citrus, use a child safe sewing needle and thread the suncatchers. I’ve linked some ideas here for inspiration.

  8. Display in a sunny spot in the house and admire how the sun shines through the citrus slices.

Orange Sherbet

Work together with your child to make the orange sherbet.