Before Thanksgiving break, students in Child Development were given a major assignment…taking care of an egg shell for five days. In class, the students blew the yolks out of their eggs and were left with an empty egg shell that they had to watch over like a newborn baby.

   “The purpose of the Egg Baby project is to provide students with an opportunity to experience the responsibility that comes with a baby,” said Ms. Shannon Callahan, Child Development teacher. “This also shows students the commitment required for parenting/caregiving.”

   While caregiving, students experienced different setbacks with their “babies.” 

   “The hardest part for students was to provide protection for the Egg Baby in the hallways,” said Ms. Callahan. “Some students said that it was difficult to find a trustworthy Egg Sitter, too.”

   There were also several takeaways from the five day Egg Baby project. 

   ¨It gives confidence to students for the preparation of a baby and actually taking care of the baby,” said Demarion Rice, sophomore. “The only part that was hard for me was the blowing part where we blew out the yolk of the egg during preparation.”

    Every year before the project starts, Ms. Callahan provides students with some helpful tips so students can be more prepared for their egg baby.

   “I would encourage Egg Baby parents to provide a safe carrier and make good choices regarding caregivers,” said Ms. Callahan.

   During this assignment, students had to choose wisely the people they surrounded themselves with. Being around careless or dangerous people would increase the chance the egg would crack.

   “Doing the egg baby project, I learned that you have to be responsible, you have to plan ahead, and be caring,” said Kaili Thompson, junior. “It’s also very important that you be careful with who you hang out with. I have two little brothers so I knew it was going to be a little difficult just because the egg shell, just like a baby, is so fragile.”