Quail Eggs, Ducklings and other "science experiments"

Personally, I think "wild life" science experiments are the best!

Below you will see a close-up picture of our latest additions to the family and also a great way to learn about wild life up close and personal............

What started as a great science experiment with quail eggs, turned into buying baby ducklings at the farmer's market when the quail eggs refused to hatch.  It was really a rather sad "experiment."  My son bought the fertilized eggs online, built an incubator, kept the temperature and humidity at the appropriate numbers, turned them twice a day and we all waited.  They were duds!  They never hatched.  It was a good learning experience but we had to fill the void, so to speak.  Hince the ducklings are now living in our backyard.  We will keep them for a few more months then release them in the creek in our backyard or the neighborhood pond.  

We've done some great wild life science experiments in our 16 years of homeschooling.  Here are some of our favorite:

Order the tadpool and watch it turn into a frog, or just catch tadpools in the creek : )

The blue gel ant farm

Hamsters, rabbits, guinea pigs

Catch a turtle and keep it for a while

Venus fly trap

Grow a tea garden (we ordered this and are doing that now too)

It's amazing how much children learn from real life experiences with nature as opposed to just reading about it in a book.  I'm sure I'm forgetting some we've done in past years (I probably need to ask my older kids : )  But if y'all have any other great ideas, please comment.