Pupils given a bird's eye view of hatching chicks

By Claire Dukes

Children at Liden Primary School have welcomed a clutch of new chicks into their classrooms as part of an annual project to broaden their education.

At present there are eight chicks; four just born overnight which will at first stay in the incubator; four which have transitioned into the brooder box and two the pupils are eagerly awaiting to hatch.

The scheme enables Foundation stages 1 and 2 to become actively involved in caring for the chicks - and children can keep a constant check on the progress of the hatching via a webcam. 

Acting assistant head teacher Emma Chapman said: "It's an experience they’ll never forget. It gives them a first hand understanding of the beauty of nature and it helps them learn about handling animals responsibly."

When the chicks are stronger, the pupils are able to handle them, as well as have the opportunity to take them home for the weekend.

The scheme, in association with specialist company Living Eggs, also provides engaging learning activities for the pupils by helping them practice their counting, learning about life cycles and developing nurturing skills by taking on the chicks as their responsibility. Once ready to leave, the chicks are offered to the staff and students for adoption or returned to the farm where they came from.

Liden School has developed an ongoing programme to take the project further, so the pupils' experiences continue to feed into their daily classes.