How we welcome a new member to our nest

Responsibility is a crucial skill that should be gained at the very early stages of life. It involves decision-making, facing circumstances, dealing with duty, and being accountable for something. Therefore, it is one of the things we focus on here at Early Birds - and we try to internalise this skill with every move we make.

At the beginning of this year, we decided to adopt a new pet. We already had chickens, roosters and turtles, and were ready to welcome a new member. Yet there were many questions to be answered beforehand. Which pet are we going to adopt? Where will it stay? Who will take care of it? How are we going to choose a name? Then we started to think...

To decide which pet we will adopt next, a democratic election was the best solution. Among animals such as a giraffe, rhinoceros etc., rabbit won the election. The first stage was completed. Next step? To prepare a residence for the rabbit. Then we started to think again. Plans for the new house were drawn up, meetings held, and key decisions made. Just as in any other democratic process. Without wasting time, we started to build the rabbit's new house, as a team. As a result of several days work, we built a safe and comfortable hutch. Where to place the house was also a matter of curiosity. For this, we pondered, voted among ourselves, and found the most logical point.

Our bunny needed a name when it arrived. Again, we followed a fair way to determine its name. But this time, we asked the rabbit to make the choice. Four groups identified four different names and we placed signs with each name written in chalk – and a little something to nibble on to aid the decision-making process. Then, we waited for the rabbit to choose one of these signs to find its name. As a result, she chose the moniker Happy, and cemented her place as the newest pet in the Early Birds garden.

There were still other things to be decided. Who will take care of the rabbit? For this, sharing responsibility is crucial - and so we prepared a responsibility chart. Now every week a different group takes care of the bunny in terms of ensuring her food, water and hygiene needs.

Happy continues her life among us as a member of our family.

This is the story of how we live “happily” ever after.

By Hande Güner
Early Birds Istanbul