Baby Chicks in the Classroom

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The chicks have hatched! After 22 days in the incubator the big day finally came. We had been worried because the incubator was left open on day 14 as the class went on a field trip to the Zoo. The eggs were left in the cold for more than 6 hours! A quick internet search revealed that chicks can survive several hours without incubation. We candled the eggs but there was not much to see on day 14. Since we had two duck eggs we candled those as well and the little ducks were paddling in their eggs!

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On day 21 we came in on a Sunday to make sure the chicks were doing fine. Nothing was happening. What in the world could we tell the kids? We sang to the chicks (really) and finally we heard a faint chirping. The next day things started to get going. We first saw a small hole.  The eggs started shaking and rolling. We could also hear them chirping in their eggs pretty loudly, but no chicks yet. It is very tempting to help a chick out of the egg at this point. You can see the beak through the pip. Their struggle seems so real. However helping a chick hatch is usually fatal. It really makes you think about struggle in general. Maybe there is more purpose in it than we realize.

It took an additional 24 hours for all of them to hatch and it took all of our restrained not to intervene and help.  Now they are chirping and running around in their nesting box and our yard. We take them into the school garden and let them peck in the dirt and fluff their feathers in the sun. What a treat for the end of the school year!

If you are interested in incubating your own chicks you can find more information right here.

 

 

Day 8 Classroom Incubation Project

If an egg is broken by an outside force, life ends. If an egg is broken by an inside force, life begins. Great things happen from the inside. – Unknown

Today was day 8 of our chicken and duck egg incubation project. You can read about day 1 here and if you are interested in chickens in your classroom you can find basic instructions right here. We turned the lights off and it was time to candle the eggs. It is hard to believe, but right now all of the eggs are developing perfectly. The embryos are clearly visible. The class was incredibly excited. The duck egg has some dirt on it and the class had an interesting discussion about washing the eggs. We will explore the microbial film covering the eggs tomorrow.

Classroom Egg Incubation Project Day 1

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It is time to incubate again! Here are our beauties happily situated in the incubator. This year we have five chicken and 2 duck eggs. We weren’t really counting on ducks. They have a different incubation time than chickens. We will see how it all works out in the end.

We use a fully automated incubator. It turns the eggs and keeps the temperature at a constant 37.5 degrees Celsius.  The kids still turn the eggs by hand once a day. The automated turning is an amazing feature. Without it we would have never attempted this project. Letting the kids hand turn the eggs once a day helps keep them involved. Keep your fingers crossed for some healthy chicks and ducklings!

If you are interested to start your own chicken life cycle project check out our previous post about chickens in the classroom.

 

5 Great School Garden Ideas

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To plant a garden is to believe in tomorrow.”

~Audrey Hepburn

It is time to finally get the school garden of your dreams going.  We assembled 5 great ideas you can get started today. Some of the benefits of school gardens are listed here:

  • Improves test scores
  • Promotes health
  • Encourages environmental thinking
  • Improves school climate
  • Increases consumption of fruits and vegetables
  • Promotes playing with nature

For a list of scholarly articles you can visit Life Lab. They have done an incredible job supporting garden classrooms.

Now, let’s consider what you want to achieve with your garden. How do you want your school community to interact with it? Often when you see a school garden you find a sad little planter box behind a chain link fence. This scenario is fine, if all you are interested in is planting some peas and then harvesting them. If you want to be able to take your whole class to your garden, the most important consideration is space. You want to have enough room for an open area and seating, be as far away from anybody minding noise as possible, and have a readily  available water supply.

1. Awesome Outdoor Classroom

Get about twenty hay bales and arrange them in a circle. If there is a tree even better. Tree stumps will also work well. This beautiful classroom is under a shady tree at the Los Angeles County Arboretum. Can’t you just see the beautiful lessons under this sheltering oak tree?

Los Angeles County Arboretum
Los Angeles Arboretum

Outdoor teaching is a whole new animal that comes with its own sets of benefits and challenges. When we first started the wind kept blowing away our worksheets and artwork. Now we use clipboards to keep everything in place. Just be aware that there will be a learning curve to teaching outdoors.

2. Butterfly Tunnel

Audubon Center at Debs Park
Audubon Center at Debs Park

What could be better than a little hiding spot? Better yet a hiding spot that attracts butterflies. Simply plant your favorite butterfly host plants around a tunnel trellis and soon you will be able to observe the life cycle of a butterfly right in you school garden.

3. Sensory Garden

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Let’s face it. Kids like to touch stuff. Why not make it possible for them to have a garden where you get to touch and smell the plants around you. It is very important to use hardy, non-toxic plants. Sage, lavender, thyme, and rosemary are some excellent choices.

3. Raised Beds

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Raised beds really look good and are easy to maintain. It really helps to leave space between the beds. Ideally a whole class should fit around a garden bed. This way a teacher can take the whole class to the garden. It also really helps to place a few benches or picnic tables.  This way some students can do some seat work while others garden. We often bring a bucket with books and a group of students simply reads.

4. Water Pump

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In Europe almost every playground  seems to have an old-fashioned water pump. Kids love to water and they are willing to work for the privilege. A pump and some watering cans can keep a class busy for an entire day.
5. Small Pond

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A small pond is not only a beautiful addition to a school garden but also a great opportunity to observe ecosystems right on your school campus.

Some of these ideas might take some time to develop.  Just take the first steps today.  Even if you have only a small dirt patch and some seeds,  your students will benefit in so many ways.  We started our school garden with some tomato plants and a few watering cans.  We probably harvested 2 tomatoes. They tasted disgusting and we had to cut them into 24 pieces.  We still learned so much from the experience.  Like so much in learning, it is the process, not the product that matters.  By planting two tomato plants we learned about pillbugs, soil consistency, and the effects of a prolonged drought. Don’t hesitate, just go for it.  Happy gardening!