Talk about where wild chickens live and show Southeast Asia on a map. Explain that as jungle fowl, chickens adapted to their environment and developed traits that helped them survive. Internet sites about habitats and how animals adapt can be used for pictures, maps and details.
Explain to the children that chickens are as smart as some primates and that they understand things many animals and even small children do not. Explain to the children how chickens are like humans -- they enjoy watching television, listening to music, have close relationships with family and mourn when a loved one dies. Mother hens cluck to unborn chicks in their eggs and the chicks chirp in response from inside the shells.
Teach the children about chicken anatomy using visual aids. Explain and show that chickens and other birds use the same opening, a vent, for reproduction and elimination. For example, explain how part of the chicken's cloaca -- the chamber that houses the intestine, oviduct and ureters -- turns inside out when it is creating an egg and how a red membrane is formed inside the organs.
Explain the process of egg laying. For example, tell the children that hens approach a nest slowly, with hesitation, before entering. Have children pretend to act like hens sitting on their nests. Use pictures or video clips to show hens sitting on their eggs.
Arrange a trip to visit a local farm with chickens so children can watch the chickens and, if possible, gather eggs.
Have the children visit Internet sites that feature games about chickens and eggs.
For example, have them visit EbaumsWorld.com, GameScene.com or HotGames14.com for the games Super Chick Sisters, Chicken Table Hockey and Lay an Egg. These games provide a fun way to keep children's interest as you show them how chickens lay eggs.
Read the children books about eggs. For younger children, picture books are especially helpful for teaching the subject. Books such as "Eggs" by Marilyn Singer, "Horton Hatches the Egg" by Dr. Seuss, "Scrambled Eggs Surprise" by Dr. Seuss and "An Extraordinary Egg" by Leo Lionni can introduce children to eggs and increase their curiosity about chickens and how they create eggs.