RAHWAY — While most students were preparing for the quiet of Spring Break, the kindergarten classrooms at Roosevelt Elementary School were bursting with life. The students recently traded their traditional textbooks for incubators and observation journals as they participated in an immersive, hands-on duck life cycle study.
The journey began on Monday, March 23, when Farmer Catherine from Quiver Farm delivered eight duck eggs to the classrooms. For many, including Lorraine Contreras’s class, this marked the very first time they had welcomed feathered friends into their learning environment.
Throughout the week, students took on the role of young scientists. Their curriculum included:
- anatomy and habitats: Learning to label the parts of a duck and understanding where they live and what they eat;
- scientific observation: Maintaining daily journals to track changes in the eggs and predict hatching times; and
- expert guidance: Engaging in presentations from Quiver Farm on the delicate process of avian birth and care.
The anticipation reached its peak on Monday, March 30, when the first cracks appeared. Students watched in awe as five ducklings emerged throughout the school day. The experience moved beyond observation as students were given the opportunity to gently hold the ducklings and watch their very first swim.
“It was a great experience for all of us,” said Contreras. “Watching the students’ faces as they witnessed the hatching process and then got to interact with the ducklings was truly special.”
Teacher Wendy DeChellis added that the timing couldn’t have been better. “The classes spent the week before Spring Break eagerly watching and waiting. Once the ducklings emerged, the students were delighted to observe their playful and curious behavior firsthand.”
Photos Courtesy of Colleen Kurdyla
