Vanessa Combden, a first-grade teacher at Nechako Elementary School had a very egg-citing project for her students.
The class incubated chicken and duck eggs to teach the first graders about where their food comes from, as well as the life cycles of chickens and ducks.
This year the class raised 11 ducklings and 11 chicks. The chickens took 21 days to hatch and the ducks took 28 days.
“Depending on the temperature it could be a day or so earlier. Same with the ducks. These guys were a day early, but it could be a day or two later,” said Combden.
A lot of them hatched during class, she said, noting one particular incident that disrupted an entire lesson.
“With the ducks, it was funny because we saw cracks on a different incubator and I was teaching and I just happened to look over into another incubator and it was like ‘Oh! two babies have been born!’ and the kids were, like, ‘what!?’ and they all came running over and they got to see.”
She added it happened quite a bit during the final two weeks.
Since hatching, the fowl have imprinted on Combden and the kids.
“If I was to take them out, especially the ducks, they would follow us around,” said Combden.
“When we come in on the weekend to give them food and water, the ducks will follow them around. Last year I did a live(stream) of me walking around the school with the little babies following me around, and they’d rest on top of my feet every time I stopped.”
The birds will remain in the classroom for a little while to grow and for students to observe. Then, they will then be returned to the farm in Terrace where the eggs came from.
Combden has a background in science and has been doing similar projects for years. She keeps many other plants and animals for her class to learn from.
In previous years classes have raised quail eggs, praying mantis, goldfish, and kept a class rabbit. She also grows both edible and non-edible plants. Past projects have included making Halloween pumpkin soup, bannock, pizza and green onion pancakes made from scratch and school-grown ingredients.
This year the class is also raising painted lady butterfly larvae. The insects are native to Kitimat and after they hatch, will be released outside.
