Nature Study: Seeds vs. Eggs

In the first period of their nest-themed day, the Quarks took a close look at eggs. We started by comparing eggs to seeds: what’s on the outside for protection, what’s inside for food, and what might begin to grow out of them. They each worked on a folding egg diagram, so we could talk more specifically about what’s inside an egg: what the membrane is for, how and why the yolk is suspended in the middle, etc. Then we went outside and cut open a few seeds, then broke a few store-bought chicken eggs to take a closer look inside. We inspected and described the shells, membranes, and yolk. Then we washed our hands and played a memory game with colored eggs: we’d memorize their placement in an egg carton, then one of us would modify something and see if the others could recognize what had changed.