Bird Study

A poem by Aileen Fisher read by the 6-7s as an introduction to their study of chicks:

 

Chick 

Peck, peck, peck 

On the warm, egg. 

Out comes a neck 

Out comes a leg. 

How does a chick, 

Who’s not been about, 

Discover the trick 

Of how to get out? 

After studying the metamorphosis of butterflies and other insects, the 6-7s learn about another cycle of development: the growth of a baby chick inside the egg. The children chart the progress of the incubated eggs, peering inside the shells with a flashlight and counting down the days until they hatch. Each day, they carefully rotate the eggs and monitor the temperature of the incubator. The first peep from a hatching chick is eagerly anticipated and news spreads throughout the school. Once the chicks emerge, children learn how to hold and care for them. They study the chicks’ behavior and note their observations in their science notebooks, the first entries in what becomes a full-fledged bird study. The students study all aspects of birds—the different species, what they eat, where they live, and what calls they make. They go birdwatching in the park and visit the nearby Wild Bird Fund. At the end of their study, they use their learning and research to create a bird museum so they can share their findings with their families and the MCS community.