225 babies are born each minute; in this case, however, it’s the AP Psych kids’ baby eggs. As they carefully prepare each egg, students tenderly carry colorful boxes and tins filled with fabric and stuffing. They cradle their precious eggs–even the slightest crack and they could fail the project.

AP Psychology students kick off their unit by caring for their very own egg baby by naming it, playing with it, and creating a safe environment for it in order to learn about the different theories of development. With the insides of the eggs blown out, the egg shells become very fragile which makes the task of not cracking the egg a seemingly difficult one. Students are tasked to document their days with their eggs such as going to the park, reading a book, and playing with other eggs. If they leave their egg behind, they must find a suitable babysitter that has initialed that they have watched the egg.

Each one of the eggs is named and decorated, making each one unique. Some students have gone a more traditional route by taking a sharpie and drawing a smiley face on their eggs while others have used makeup to create the face. Students have continued to be creative with the way they are raising their “eggs”; students are teaching their eggs to swim, drive, and read.  

“My egg’s name is Chief, and I care for him every day,” responded sophomore Aiden Lee. “The project really gives us an insight of how childhood and different kinds of care can affect someone for the rest of their lives.”

Can we guarantee that these students will be better parents? Maybe. But keeping an egg baby is no simple task.