Chicks

First grade at West Chester Friends is known for hatching chicks.  Savannah was able to visit the chicks when she was in Kindergarten and has been eagerly awaiting her chance at hatching the eggs ever since.  This was the week!  Last week the eggs arrived and the students were responsible for turning them four times a day, holding them up to bright lights to check for movement, and monitoring the temperature in the incubators.  It seems that hatching takes 21 days exactly because they all started hatching on Monday, just like T. Connie predicted.  The first one hatched ten minutes before the school day was over, and the rest decided to wait until the students were out the door to emerge.  If you look at the egg picture, you can see that all of the eggs had been punctured when the students left for the day.

Here is a video of a ten minute old chick.

T. Connie let families come in before and after school so that the students could share their experience. It was nice to see Savannah's growing attachment to these fluffy little birds. She often ended up with six or seven of the chicks asleep in her lap. These chicks were pretty exhausted after being taken out four times a day by 16 First Graders. The class even took the chicks to the Quaker Retirement home that is located on the school's campus. The students loved sharing their chicks but the chicks came back very tired. Here is a clip of one that couldn't seem to keep his head up.



After many scientific observations, writings, drawings and, most noted by the kids, playful interactions with the chicks, the students said a tearful goodbye this morning.

Here are some pictures of the girls getting some chick time.  Needless to say, ducky-lover, Lila Grace, was in heaven.  She has requested that we refer to chicks as ducks because it makes her happy.