Springtime in Vermont is in its full, glorious swing. The mud is among us, the flowers are blooming, the bees are buzzing and….BABY CHICKS ARE HATCHING!
I have assisted several classrooms many times with this really exciting project over the past 10 years. It’s always a really fun, science-based, farming-centered countdown that ends up with adorable chicks.
Some fun facts for you:
- A chicken egg takes 21 days to hatch
- Eggs need to stay in their incubator at about 99.5F
- Eggs need to be turned at least 3 times a day
- The last thing a chick does before it hatches is absorb it yolk! Giving it plenty of nutrients for the next 3 days or so while the rest of its siblings crack their way into the world.
This year, I helped my daughter’s class with a big batch of colorful eggs from our family farm. Her teacher and I have known each other for quite some time and have a great system. I bring in a bucket of eggs from the nesting box out of the coop, the kids help pick the colors and we count out each one labeling them with their number in pencil, and then an X and O get put on each side so we know they’ve been turned. Then, into the incubator they go!
They all countdown each day, and take turns helping the teacher turn them — taking great care to not bump the table or the incubator.
The kids all observe and monitor the ongoing process of growth in their own ways too! Candling eggs brings a great visual for them. They draw pictures, practice counting down the days and which days of the week that will be.
After all that hard work, this Monday, May 4, they all got to walk into their classroom and find 3 little peeps. A bunch more have hatched since then, and are gleefully observed and named by a sea of happy preschool faces until they go home on Friday.
It never fails to amaze me how cool this all is, I’m so lucky I get to help give this opportunity each year.
– Shannon Hart is a Vermont native, mother of 2 and Graphic Designer at the Addison Independent
Do you have a story to share about life with young kids in Addison County? We’d love to hear from you! Email [email protected].