Washington Kindergartners Get 'Eggs'cited About Chickens & Ducks
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David Slone-dslone@timesuniononline.com
Kindergartners in Joye Andrew's a.m. and p.m. kindergarten classes helped hatch and take care of two ducklings this year.
The project-based learning culminated with the students presenting at the ninth annual EdCom March 28. It was only one of two kindergarten projects given at the "celebration of learning" event.
Andrew said 13 students participated in the project titled "Eggs to Barnyard." They studied the chicken and duck egg shells, the stuff inside eggs, how they hatch and they incubated the eggs.
Duck eggs take 28 days to hatch, and chicken eggs take 21 days. The classes had 23 eggs in the classroom, but only two duck eggs hatched. Andrew said the students learned the eggs are porous and can easily catch students' diseases.
The two ducklings were named Maddie and Omelet.
Andrew said the purpose of "Eggs to Barnyard" was for the students to participate in project-based learning. The project was something they studied over a long period of time. They studied the science behind the eggs, incubated the eggs and also did candling on the eggs. Candling is where a light is held up to the egg to see what's growing inside.
While the students were ecstatic about the project, they did eventually have to say good-bye to Omelet and Maddie.
"The ducks went to a family farm this week," Andrew said. "They will be missed. Their odor won't be missed, but they will be."
After the ducklings hatched, students studied down feathers, why their beaks are hooked and webbed feet. Students wrote their observations and a personal narrative about what they liked best about the exercise.
The two ducklings also traveled to EdCom with the students.
"We have now graced EdCom with live farmyard animals," Andrew said. "I don't think that's ever happened."
"I had fun having them," said 6-year-old Aubrey Hepler. "In school, they were really fun."
She said she learned that some duck eggs are brown, and that it takes 28 days for ducks to hatch and 21 days for chickens to hatch."We only had them for a little bit, but then they had to go to a farm," said 6-year-old Ross Hutton.
He said he liked having them so much, he wants his own farm so he can have his own ducks.
