REAL Life Cycle Experience 24.7.7®
Why is this science experience truly ethical?
Pollution and Climate Change
There is no petrol or diesel used to deliver the Real Life Cycle Experience 24.7.7® to each school, which does not pollute our air or have a negative impact on climate change.
New Life
This educational science experience allows tiny and fragile baby birds, to be left alone with their mum when they hatch and grow, in a quiet and safe environment.
Environment
I created a safe environment, where the ducks had the resources, security and peace that they needed to independently and naturally create new life.
Natural Incubation
As you can see in the image below, all of the ducklings were incubated by their mummy in a nest. Children will learn how Dot moved and rotated her eggs several times during the day and night, to make sure that they received equal amounts of heat and to ensure that the ducklings did not get stuck to the inside of their shells as they developed, which can cause crippling disabilities.
Communication Before Hatching
Ducklings and chicks chirp from within their shells shortly before they hatch. All of the ducklings that hatched in the Real Life Cycle Experience 24.7.7®, had their mighty chirps met with reassuring responses, from mummy Dot. It is so important that baby birds have these chirps answered by their mummy before they hatch, which they deserve and as nature intends, when they begin their journey into the outside world.
This natural wonder is an amazing experience and I believe that children will be fascinated and excited by this, as they have probably never heard mummy and ducklings communicating, before they hatch!
Hatching
This stage of the life cycle, is incredibly long and strenuous for the tiny chicks and ducklings, as they break their way out of the hard shell. They are very delicate, weak, wobbly and incredibly vulnerable. When baby birds hatch in a nest with their mummy, they communicate all the way through this process, particularly as they are breaking free, till after they have hatched. Mummy duck helps to crack the egg if needed and moves bits of the shell away, to help them out. She then guides them out of their egg with her beak, to welcome them into the world and she moves the empty egg shell away if she feels it is needed. This is helpful because the cracked edges of the shell, could harm the baby. Her babies then nuzzle under their mummy to rest, keep warm and become dry.
I did not realise myself, that the mummy duck helps her babies to hatch and just how much her ducklings need her throughout this whole process, until I witnessed this beautiful and heart warming sight for myself.
Mummy and Baby Bond
During the Real Life Cycle Experience 24.7.7®, all of the ducklings had the opportunity to meet and bond with Dot. They then grew up with mummy Dot watching over them and she only slept when they did. She took them out into the big wide world for the first time, as she called them out of the nest and they all chased after her. Dot looked after her ducklings, as they learned how to eat, drink and experienced being in the water for the first time.
Children will see how the babies look up at their mummy, jump up to reach her face, follow her around, nuzzle and hide in her feathers and climb on her as they play together. This is because they naturally need and love their mummy, just like all baby animals do.
One Clutch and a Forever Home
There was only one set of eggs that hatched for this experience and before I started, I already knew that regardless of however many ducklings there would be and whether they were male or female, that they all had a loving and safe forever home.
