![Newest arrivals aid children's understanding of life's wondrous cycle.](//www.pct.edu/files/news/images/2015/05/Chicks-150x150.jpg)
![Children and their families board the Hiawatha for a journey upriver and back.](//www.pct.edu/files/news/images/2015/05/Hiawatha-150x150.jpg)
It has been a week of celebrations at the Dunham Children’s Learning Center. The young preschool class at Penn College has been studying animals and, as part of the study, incubated chicken eggs. The incubator and eggs were provided by the Lycoming County Cooperative Extension Office. On Wednesday, children arrived to find five newly hatched chicks. By Friday, there were 12 chicks that were taken to a local farm. Children and families, who watched with delight as the chicks hatched, observed the changes in the first days of life. On Thursday, the families enjoyed a cruise on the Hiawatha paddlewheeler. "This was a wonderful celebration of the friendships forged this year and the children’s growth and learning," said Barbara J. Albert, director of the child care center. "Despite the chilly weather, families welcomed the opportunity to experience the outdoors with their children."
Photos by Neva E. Simcox, group leader, Children's Learning Center, and Eric K. Albert, associate professor of machine tool technology/automated manufacturing