Hatching plans at Wentworth Primary

The simple act of hatching eggs has been a powerful teaching tool for children at Wentworth Primary School, providing a rich source of lessons in science, maths, English and statistics.

Teacher Chris Donovan says Year 3 to 6 students became involved from the moment the 42 eggs and incubator arrived from a chicken farm in July.

“We posed questions such as ‘do the eggs get bigger, or heavier as the chicks grow’, and ‘how permeable is the shell’,” Chris says.

The students measured and weighed the eggs and, as most are from urban backgrounds, were fascinated to discover that eggs get lighter as the chick grows, shrinking the yolk and increasing the amount of air inside.

Around 50 percent of the eggs hatched last month and the chicks were looked after under a heat lamp for three weeks before being returned to the farm and life as free range hens.

“The children learned that not all the chicks survive, as well as writing stories about the whole process. How the eggs get fertilised has also been discussed in class. It has been a very positive and hands-on learning experience.”

Image: From left, Toby Romninger, Leila Akers and Kelvin Kambasha with three chicks hatched at Wentworth Primary School.