The Eggs are Here! The Eggs are Here!

Being a first grade teacher is so very special! It is just magical to see the students'

faces light up each and every time they learn something new! New learning experiences are apart of our classroom everyday, but something as extraordinary as hatching chickens will be an experience that is unforgettable. Seven chicken eggs arrived in our classroom last Wednesday, and were donated by a local farmer. You can only imagine how excited the children are. There is a lot to remember when hatching chicks, so the children are practicing a different kind of responsibility in the classroom rather than being responsible for their actions and for belongings. A few of these responsibilities include changing the water for humidity, checking both the room and the incubator temperature, and keeping track when the eggs are turned. We have developed a class Incubator Data Chart to help us keep track of these factors which the chicks are so dependent upon. Even though we have only had the chicks for 4 days, we have already learned so much! Through a web quest (a blog I made for the children that is designed for safe, child friendly research,) the children have investigated life cycles, oviparous animals, sequence, temperature, and the basic needs of living things. Along with the class generated data chart, the children are also keeping their own logs in a scientific journal given to them. I am anticipating the children going deeper into their interest with baby animals!

Above: Kaydence and Isabella are researching in both fiction and non fiction books for information about chicks! They are recording their new learning in their journals using specific headings to organize their research. They have pages for "What I think I know," "What I wonder," "New Learning," and "Yes, I was right!" The children love when they confirm that what they thought was right was actually true. Also above, Alexis and Marlo are building models of chickens.

We also have lady bugs in our classroom (contained, of course!) They were donated by Isabella and her grandmother. Wow, did they sure fill our bucket! It is neat to compare the life cycle of the lady bug with the chicken. We got the lady bugs when they were just tiny eggs, and have watched them grow into beautiful, spotted lady bugs!

Parents, you are more than welcome to come see our chicken eggs or the hatchlings at any time. Your child would love to show and tell you everything they are learning about! If your child is interested in researching more at home, here is the link to the webquest: http://thewonderfulworldofchicks.blogspot.com/