First grade students in Mrs. Erickson’s classroom at Langford Elementary successfully hatched 12 chicks last week. The students took care of the eggs for 21 days and learned all about the life cycle of chickens.
Jennifer Ringkob, Marshall County 4-H Youth Program Advisor, and Larissa Heitmann, Program Assistant, shared SDSU Extension Chicks in the Classroom lessons that covered part of an egg, candling eggs, development of the embryo over the 21 day incubation period, hatching and caring for baby chicks. The program aligns with SD Education standards and is a wonderful hands on learning experience.
The candling lesson is very exciting as students can see inside the egg. They identify them as Winners, eggs with a chick growing; Yolkers, eggs that were never fertilized; and Quitters, eggs that had an embryo that did not grow. “Seeing their eyes get big when they see the kidney bean sized embryo inside the egg is so rewarding,” said Ringkob. “We share a growth chart with them that shows just how big the baby chick is getting every day which helps them count down the days until the chicks hatch.”
On Monday, April 22, Heitmann explained the hatching process to the first graders and when they arrived at school Wednesday morning, there were 5 baby chicks. Mrs. Erickson told her students “we are parents!” By Friday morning, the chick count was at 12. Students had an opportunity to watch the hatching process, care for the chicks for a few days and also practice the safe chick handling skills they were taught. Today, the chicks are warm and happy at their new home on the farm thanks to the Langford first grade students.
