Kindergarten and first-grade students at Pekin and Washington Elementary Schools got a hands-on introduction to agriculture this spring through the annual Chick Hatching Program, a collaborative effort between the Jefferson County Farm Bureau and Jefferson County Extension and Outreach.
The program, which concluded at the end of April, gave approximately 200 students the opportunity to observe the life cycle of chicks from egg to hatch. Classrooms received seven eggs each along with incubators and all necessary materials on April 6th. Over the course of 21 days, students closely monitored the eggs as they developed, with chicks hatching around April 27th. The newly hatched chicks were collected from the schools on April 30th.
Jefferson County Farm Bureau Outreach Coordinator Hailey Shultz, along with Jefferson County Extension County Director Courtney Burkhalter and County Youth Coordinator Abby Dingman, visited classrooms each week throughout the program to deliver 30-minute educational lessons. Kindergarten students learned about needs versus wants, the parts and functions of a chicken, how to prepare a proper enclosure, and the chicken life cycle. First-grade students built on those foundational lessons by exploring egg anatomy, basic genetics, and the chicken life cycle in greater depth.
A total of 10 dozen eggs were used in the program, with 64 chicks successfully hatching. After the hatch, local Jefferson County Clover Kid members had the opportunity to take the chicks home, with chicks distributed among 11 participants.
Students will have the chance to see the chicks they helped hatch at the Jefferson County Fair, scheduled for June 22nd through 29th.
The program involved 10 teachers across both schools: Mrs. Vorhies, Ms. Spalla, Ms. Gridley, Mrs. Stoutner, Mrs. McGuire, Mrs. Jimenez-Garcia, Mrs. Glick, Mrs. Holthus, Mrs. Eubanks, and Mrs. Heisdorffer.
Organizers say the program continues to serve as a valuable way to connect young students with agriculture through interactive and memorable learning experiences.
