Hen's Egg-and-Spoon Walk

Each hen carries her egg (a tennis ball) in a big wooden spoon from the henhouse to her nest along a little obstacle path. It builds carrying a balanced object, controlling speed and staying calm if it falls.

How to play

1. Cluck and walk like hens; the teacher shows how to hold the spoon level and watch the egg (2 min).
2. Each hen puts her egg on the spoon and walks slowly around without dropping it (2 min).
3. Carry the egg to a hoop nest along the path: around cones and over ropes (3 min).
4. If it falls, the hen says "Oh no, my egg!", puts it back on the spoon and calmly keeps going (2 min).
5. Switch hands, then try holding the spoon by the very end of the handle (2 min).
6. The hens sit on their eggs to keep them warm and breathe slowly (1 min).

Rules

• The other hand doesn't touch the egg.
• Go slowly: eggs break if we run.
• If it falls, no big deal: pick it up and keep going.

Variations

Adaptations

• Limited mobility: rest the spoon on the armrest while a classmate pushes the wheelchair along the path.
• Low frustration tolerance: use a wide ladle or small bowl instead of a spoon so the egg falls less.
• Low vision: mark the path with a rope to follow with a foot and use a brightly colored ball.

Learning goals

• Keep an object balanced while walking.
• Adjust speed so the load doesn't fall.
• Calmly handle the small setback of dropping it.

Equipment for a class of 25

• Large wooden spoons: 25
• Tennis balls: 25
• Hoops: 6
• Jump ropes: 4
• Cones: 6

Teacher tip

This isn't a race: whoever arrives with the egg has made it. Saying "Oh no, my egg!" with a laugh takes a lot of pressure off kids who get frustrated.

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