Our Science Inquiry Notebook entries.

A New Home

 

We officially have FIVE chicks!! There are still four eggs in the incubator that we're watching. Two of the four have some holes/cracks in them. We are really hoping they hatch soon.

The chicks that hatched Wednesday night and Thursday have all been moved to their new home. They're eating and drinking like pros. Classes have been in and out of the library all day. The whole school truly is EGGS-cited about hatching day!!

 

 

 

 

 

Our live feed has had over 750 views! That's incredible!! We plan to move the camera over to the chick's pen after we're sure all hatching is complete. Yes, that's right!! That means you can check in on our chicks any time you want. This weekend we may even leave the sound on so you can hear their sweet chirps.  



They're Here!!

We had one EGGS-cited group of Mustangs this morning! Three chicks hatched after we all left the building. Maybe they were too shy to make their debut with an audience? Who knows... we're just so glad they're here and healthy. First grade students couldn't wait to get down to the library for a peek.

 

 

 

 

They made sure the chicks had plenty of food and water in their pen and that the heat lamp was up and running. It has to be nice and warm for them!! Once they've dried out and they look "fluffy" they can be taken out of the incubator. I think the question, "Can I hold one" has been asked a hundred times already. The EGGS-citement is just too much!! 

 

 

 

Of course, after observing our the new chickies, students returned to their classrooms to write about them in their science journals. Many students wrote about how excited they were. Some were concerned about the other eggs and had questions about why they hadn't hatched yet. But, I think the smiles on their faces say it all. They love their chicks!!



Getting Ready

Hatching day will be here before you know it!! Yesterday the first grade teachers began to get things ready for the big day. First step: removing the turners from the incubator. Now the eggs are sitting on a wire rack. This will allow the chick to hatch and dry in the incubator.

 

Then of course they set up the pen. Our chicks will be living in the library for a few weeks, so their new home is all ready for their arrival. Fresh cedar chips and a heating lamp are sure to make their stay more cozy. The whole school will get a good look at our chicks each time they come for library. It's truly is EGGS-citing for everyone! 

 

 

And last, but not least, the live feed is up and running. It will officially begin broadcasting tomorrow, Wednesday. We expect to hear some pipping in the next 24 hours. That's a sign that hatching will soon take place. You won't want to miss this... be sure to check out our live feed by clicking HERE. 

 

Feel free to create your own UStream account. It's free!! It will allow you to "follow us" and leave comments in our chat area. It's always fun to have our viewers take part in our learning. We hope to see you online! 

Mrs. Hanson's Chick Experts

Check out these videos! Two of Mrs. Hanson's students were eager to share their writing from their science notebooks. After they candled the eggs in the library they were asked to record their observations in their journals.



We candled again!!

First graders candled the chick eggs again today. This time we huddled in Mrs. Sanders' office so it was really dark. We wanted to make sure we could tell the "good" eggs from the "not so good" ones. Other classes around the building watched us live on our UStream channel. Today was even more EGGS-citing than last Friday!

We have one dozen eggs. Last week, after candling, we predicted that maybe five of the eggs were developing. We were unsure about the other seven. Today we were able to identify distinct differences between the "good", the "questionable" and the "bad".

Below are some pictures of eggs we are certain have developed as expected. Because the room was much darker, you are able to see the veins, air pockets, and even movement from the chick inside.

 

  

 

 

The next few pictures are of eggs that did not show signs of development. The first graders were able to identify the drastic differences in these eggs as soon as the light was shone on them. We did not see veins or any dark spots, so of course there was no movement to observe.

 

 

 

This last egg was interesting. We are fairly certain this egg began to develop... but something must have happened along to way. There were no veins to observe. Instead we saw a small black mass. It looked drastically different from the other eggs we saw today. Mrs. Dossey has decided we should leave the egg in the incubator until hatching day. It could be that this egg is just developing slower than the others.

 

 

 

 

To sum up today's candling... we are expecting 9 chicks to hatch next Thursday. The two eggs that show no sign of development will be removed from the incubator when the turners are removed. The last egg, the one with the dark spot, will remain in the incubator and we will see what happens.

Our students are carefully observing the eggs!