Eggcellent Rhythms

The 5th graders have been learning about 6/8 time and I found a great Easter activity in my Kids Can Compose book. Using an egg carton and a bunch of eggs labeled with different rhythms, we had a giant egg hunt. Each group had to find 6 eggs, then using their 6 eggs, they had to compose as many measures as possible in 6/8 time. Then I passed out the worksheet from the book and they had to compose 2 different measures using only the rhythms on their eggs. Once they finished that, they joined another group to create a 4-measure pattern that they practiced and presented to the class.


I really liked this lesson because the egg cartons have 6 slots in each row which makes them perfect for doing 6/8 time. One slot=one beat which was a great visual for the kids. I've done this lesson with younger kids in 4/4 time and they are always confused by the extra two spaces. It is also really good for critical thinking and problem solving because they have to come up with several ways to use the same 6 eggs in different ways.

Looking for eggs!

Two groups combined performing their 4-measure composition.

An example of a finished sheet.