As I write this article, I am sitting next to our incubator awaiting the arrival of our ducklings. Eighteen Pekin duck eggs were placed into the incubator on March 18 by the students. Then they asked numerous times, “Are the ducks here yet?”

It has seemed like forever (28 days), but we are now in the final stretch, and by the time you read this, we will have seen the wonder of ducks hatching! At the time of publication, we have three ducks that have hatched.

The students have learned all about ducks. They have worked hard to care for the eggs and prepare for the ducklings. They have experienced gentleness, patience, and disappointment, as some may not develop into healthy ducks.

The whole experience is very beneficial to the children’s learning process. The teachers model the diligent care it takes to make this happen, and they foster the excitement of the event. Just today, we candled the eggs, and the children could see the air sack, the darkness of the duck, some veins, movement, and maybe even a little heart beat. Truly, even to an adult it has to be amazing!

As the ducks developed inside their shells, there were fairy tale explorations and stories told. The children walked like ducks and learned about the rainforest.

The children did our Hop-a-Thon and sang songs. The ducks must have wondered where the children went when the building grew quiet. They were outside playing in mud, or home resting. As much as we awaited the sound of the ducks’ peeping, surely they awaited the sound of the children.

We had a family carnival night on Tuesday, April 16, and enjoyed the ducklings and family fun together! We enjoyed eating hot dogs and popcorn, along with playing bean bag tosses and bowling.