Great Week in Science

After studying lima bean seeds (and planting them), we also studied corn. We learned that the threads of the silk are connected to the kernels and that the kernels are seeds. Today we related eggs to seeds. Both have protective coatings, contain the beginning of new life (an embryo), as well as food and nutrients. Students should be able to tell you why supermarket eggs will not hatch, no matter what you do to them (hint: they haven't been fertilized). We worked with Mrs. Carsner's class to investigate eggs today. Each pair was given an egg, a bowl, and a plastic fork. Students used plastic forks to simulate the tiny chick pecking its way out of the shell. Once broken open, they identified the yolk (the food for the embryo), the embryo (the little white part on the yolk), and the water and nutrients (the white). Next, we watched a Reading Rainbow video of the book Chickens Aren't the Only Ones. It was messy but fun!