One of the things we focus on each year in the Science Room is the cycle of life. We raise larva to feed the turtle and the Bearded Dragon. The larvae have a pupa and beetle stage that is fun to see. We also have our Gulf Fritillary Butterfly that lives off the Lady Margaret  Passionfruit Vine in the outside classroom.

Each Spring we contact Mr. Banducci, our local chicken farmer, and get some fertile eggs. The children study books about egg laying critters and the stages of development. We make a calendar to count off the days and the children place the eggs in the incubator. We candle the eggs after a couple weeks and draw what we see, and hypothesize. Children have theories about the development happening inside the egg. We observe the eggs closely, especially close to hatch time. We listen for pecking and cheeping. It’s so very exciting to watch the chicks hatch. The chicks work hard and get tired. We care for the chicks inside for a few weeks and marvel at their behavior and growth. Some of the children, curious about the eggs that fail to grow, investigate the under-developed embryos. This year, with the help of an alumna, Vera, we drew a chart of the chicks so all the children could vote on the one(s) to keep and care for at MMNS. When the chicks are strong enough, they are moved outside to the chicken coop. The children are curious, and nurturing. They learn the best approaches, and holding techniques. After a month or two, the children, teachers, and parents say good-bye to
the chicks and the Science Room takes the chicks in the wagon back to Farmer Banducci.