| Last Friday marked the beginning of spring! While the weather outside may still be cold and gray, the month of March has been colorful and bright at The Children's House. This week, the children dyed hollow egg shells in vibrant shades of primary and secondary colors in anticipation of Easter. Already familiar with the related vocabulary through making "Parts of an Egg" booklets, the children understood that the whites and yolk had been removed, preserving the shells for dying and planting. They were also able to apply their knowledge of the Geometric Solids (a material found in the Sensorial area), as several children observed that their eggs were "ovoids".  
The dying process required concentration and gentle hands, as the children took great care not to crack their eggs. Next, the children scooped soil into their eggs, gently spread grass seed on top, and saturated the mixture with water. The eggs were then placed on a classroom shelf with plenty of sunlight and the children predicted how long it would take for the grass to sprout- their guesses ranged from 1 to 100 days.
The children water their eggs each day using an eyedropper and check periodically to see if the nutrients and sunlight they have tenderly given has resulted in grass growth. Six days after planting, the first sprouts appeared! The process of growing plants cultivates an appreciation for nature and respect towards living things, while also encouraging patience and responsibility. Soon we will be taking our growing lessons outdoors to plant in the school garden! The beginning of a new season is a wonderful opportunity to explore the passage of time, including seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks, months, seasons, and years. One popular activity helps the children identify the day of the week today, as well as determine what day it was yesterday and the day it will be tomorrow.
Another favorite activity has been creating a timeline of the school day by sequencing real-life objects such as a slipper, snack cup, and music box.
Some of the older children have shown an interest in telling time and are practicing skip-counting by 5 to develop the necessary skills for reading the minute hand of an analog clock. They have also been applying their knowledge of fractions to figure out the time to the nearest hour and half hour, using both analog and digital clocks.
Here at The Children's House the old adage is proving true;
time flies when you're having fun!
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