We know it is spring at Friends School of Portland when the kindergarten class embarks on their annual chicken hatching project!
Initially, in late March, students shared what they thought they knew about chicks.
"Chicks are cute."
"Chicks are baby chickens."
"Chicks have beaks, wings, and feathers."
"Chicks come from their moms"
"Chicks need fertilizer to grow"
"Chicks come from eggs"
"Baby chickens don't fly"
"The boy chicken puts the chick in the egg. I don't know how he does that."
"The boy chicken guards the eggs that have chicks growing in them so that the only eggs the farmers can get are the ones with no chicks."
"Chicks come from an egg a boy chicken lays. Eggs that you eat come from a girl chicken,"
"Chicks need food and water."
"Chicks are birds."
Over the course of March and April, students investigated their initial thoughts and questions as they anticipated hatching chicks of their own in their classroom. In mid-April, their eggs were moved off the rotator ready to start making their appearance outside of the shell. Students arrived in the morning to see that the first chick hatched, and by the end of the day four were outside of the shell. Every half hour of the day was assigned to two kindergarteners to monitor for changes. The class was surprised by how much there was to report!
Chicks were then moved to their brooder to get ready for children to decide together on names. Sir Cheepsalot, Cutie, Encanto, Chatty Kathy, Cookie Dough, Blueberry... to name a few!
Students welcomed Laura Mailander from Cultivating Community to school to collect their newly hatched fluff balls. She shared about the organization that she works for and answered many questions from curious kindergarteners who had learned much from their initial chick and chicken conversations!
"Will they be bossed around by older chickens?"
"How do the chicks survive in a box when you drive them to their new home?"
"Are they being raised for eggs, meat, or pets?"
"What about foxes on the farm?"
"Which ones might be roosters?"
"Will you eat the chickens?"
"How many chickens do you have at your farm?"
Cultivating Community is an organization that works in food justice, particularly empowering new Americans by teaching sustainable farming practices. Students look forward to donating their chicks to their good work. Students also look forward to a chance to visit their farm to see the chicks loving life at their new home.