The Science Exploratorium at Archer Street School was turned into a nest of learning as the in-school hatching of eggs yielded a henhouse of chicks and a gaggle of giggles for students.
Teacher Donna Rusinek, who runs the in-school science lab, arranged for the delivery of fertile bobwhite quail and chicken eggs via the Internet and set up ersatz incubators using glass tanks and gooseneck lamps. Leading up to the day of hatching, students were motivated to read about the egg birth process using scientific primers available in the classroom.
After the emergence of the chicks, students learned about the meticulous feeding process for newborns and tracked their growth and progression. Video clips of the hatchings are available online on Ms. Rusinek's webpage. Many of the birds have been given nicknames, and the children are careful handling them for both sanitary reasons and to help the birds maintain their wild instincts. Ms. Rusinek has cared for the hatchlings over the weekends and holidays. Near the end of the school year, the bobwhite quails, native to Long Island, will be set free in local parks.
