Grading Eggs

There were more than students getting graded today in the K-1 classroom! That's right... we learned to grade EGGS! Eggs are graded in two different ways: size and freshness. Eggs can range in size from small to jumbo and the weight of the egg determines its size. Freshness is graded by the air cell inside the shell. One picture here is showing the difference in air cell sizes. Can you tell which egg is the freshest by finding the smallest air cell? If you guessed the far right... you're correct! That is a Grade AA. The top shell is Grade A and the bottom shell is the oldest with a Grade B.

What Grade Do You Want?

Look at this picture closely. The egg on the left is a Grade AA (freshest) and the one in the middle is Grade A. The egg on the far right is a Grade B (oldest) and won't be seen in stores. The freshness of an egg can be determined by looking at the albumen or egg white around the yolk. The fresher the egg, the more solid the egg white will be. If you could see a cross-section, you would see that the yolk and whites are piled higher too. Grandma Brandt taught us today that you can grade eggs without breaking them open by checking the size of the air cell inside the shell during the candling process. Older eggs have a larger air cell.

Isn't this exciting??? We love hands-on learning!

Candling Eggs

After incubating eggs for 1 week, it was time to check for chicks. This process is called "candling" and involves holding each egg up to a beam of light. If a chick is developing inside, a shadow will appear where the chick is sitting. Any eggs that don't have chicks developing must be taken out of the incubator to keep the developing eggs/chicks healthy. Here are some students checking our eggs.

Chick Development: 1 Week

Here is what a chick looks like at 1 week of development. This cracked egg gave the K-1 students an interesting and real look at what we've only been able to see in books. There was a combination of "this is gross" and "ahh COOL" comments from the students. Either way, it was a GREAT lesson about life and the God who creates it!

K-1 Class Incubating Chicken Eggs

Today we wiped off fresh farm eggs, checked them for cracks, and placed them into an incubator in hopes of having some cute little chicks running around in 3 weeks. Our classroom Grandma taught us about keeping the temperature and humidity level at just where it needs to be for the eggs to hatch. We also learned that eggs have a protective covering on them to help keep "germs" out of it. Incubating eggs need to be turned, but thankfully our incubator is automated! Whew! How does God make sure each hen knows all of these details?

Race for Christ Fun Run (students pictures)

Race for Christ

Here are some pictures of the students racing in the Fun Run which took place right after the Race for Christ, our major springtime fundraiser.

Bike Helmets for the Second Graders

MVCA second grade students received their bike helmets on Tuesday. We say, "Thanks!" to the Yankton Medical Clinic for the helmets.

MVCA Students Share Their Voices

The K-5th grade students shared their voices this morning with pastors from around the area who were gathered for a special monthly conference. Students did an excellent job!! We love to hear them sing!!