The Egg of Hope

Hope is crucial to growth; it transforms challenging times into opportunities for growth. In this fun egg-balancing challenge, children and adults will find ample opportunity to practice hope.

Goal

To balance an egg on a table or floor while using the TIE tool to keep hope. Kids and adults will leave this exercise with a tool for increasing hope + optimism. You will use the TIE tool the next time they feel challenged or hopeless.

Resources

Egg
Permanent markers (for decoration)
Activity Instruction Sheet (optional) click to download

Instructions

Hope is like a muscle; if we practice using it, it grow. The tool we use to grow hope is TIE. During the egg balance challenge, you will have plenty of chances to practice using this tool. Let’s look at a typically stressful situation- taking a hard test – to examine how TIE could help you grow hope:

T is for temporary: Remember that any emotions or thoughts that come up because of the difficulty of this challenge are not permanent. When you feel anxious about a test, you can remind yourself that you will feel differently after the test or the next day.

I is for isolated: This situation doesn’t have to apply to your entire life. While taking that test might be stressful, you can remind yourself that you feel differently about other parts of life; time with family, friends, or doing your favorite activity.

E is for effort: You have the power to change this situation. What can you learn from the stress of this situation — could you put in some effort to study more next time, or could you take deep breaths now to reduce anxiety?

TIE: Temporary, Isolated, Effort.

Gather materials. For this activity, the only material you will need is an egg! If you would like, you can also decorate your eggs with permanent markers before starting.
You are the hope coach. While you will also be trying to balance the egg, your job will be to ask questions and remind them about TIE. Before you being the challenge, think of some ways you can encourage them to practice TIE.
Balance the egg while keeping hope! Try balancing the egg on a flat surface. You will quickly find it very hard to do! Can you and your child practice hope with TIE. One hint: the effort part will be extra important. What creative ideas can you and your child come up with to balance the egg?

Discussion

Of the three parts of TIE, which did you find most useful during this challenge?
Can you think of a past experience when TIE might have been useful?
How did you feel when you finally balanced the egg? Or if you weren’t able to, how do you feel about that?