Hatching Up Hands-On Learning with Ms. Lee

Science came to life, literally, in the hallway at St. Dominic School this month! Ms. Lee Johnson, Learning Specialist, took the lead to bring back a well-loved project: hatching chickens!

“I assisted with the project a few years ago and I loved sharing the experience with the students and other teachers. We all learned so much! It’s a thrill to see nature in action, and I wanted our boys to experience that curiosity and excitement,” Ms. Lee shared.

She explained this year’s project, “We ordered Olive Egger eggs from a place called Wrather Farms. The eggs stayed in an incubator in my classroom for 21 days. Throughout the incubation process, our SDS K-6 boys and our ECC friends came to view the eggs and learned about the different stages of development. We used a hatching calendar to help count down the days. We talked about the personality of the breed as well. The students were so excited and curious about the process and learned so much through observation and discussion!”

After several weeks, the students’ patience paid off! The eggs recently hatched, and four little fuzzy chicks arrived! The baby chicks were transferred to a special box called a brooder with a heat lamp and food and water.

The next big step – naming the chicks! The boys on the St. Dominic hallway participated in drawing names for them, and now we have Doodle, Polka Dot, Tina, and Chuck Norris.”

The chicks are already growing fast and are headed to their new home with one of Ms. Lee’s friends.

“This was such a great community-building activity,” she said. “Personally, I got to meet and build relationships with a lot of students I don't normally get to work with. Now they ask me about the chickens when they see me! I look forward to doing this project again next year.”