Sara Stadem | Editor
Once again, this year, the Tri-Valley kindergartners have been getting to enjoy the opportunity to watch hatching of chicks all thanks to one Tri-Valley dad, Charles Martinell.
According to kindergarten teacher Laura Jensen, Martinell works for the Minnehaha County Extension Office and a number of years ago, when Martinell’s daughter was in Mrs. Jensen’s class, he asked if she would be interested in hatching chicks. “We have been doing it ever since, and a few years ago the other teachers started doing it too,” Mrs. Jensen said.
Mrs. Jensen explained that Martinell offers this program throughout Minnehaha in other schools as well and even did a virtual lesson last year that was put on their learning calendars when the students were home learning last spring due to COVID-19. Martinell also provides Caterpillar kits in the fall for each of the kindergarten classes as well.
It takes three weeks (21 days) for the eggs to hatch, Mrs. Jensen explained. Martinell brought in five incubators with a total of 14 eggs in each one for the Tri-Valley kindergarten and JK classrooms. Mrs. Jensen said Martinell comes in each week during this time to give the students a lesson about what is happening in the eggs as far as the development and then he also candles them two different times. “This is very cool for the kids to see the chicks actually moving around inside the egg,” Mrs. Jensen said. She continued, “It was fun for the kids to talk about what each classroom was getting and how many Chuck (Martinell) thought “looked good” when we candle them.”
The work isn’t done yet! From there, once the chicks hatch, Mrs. Jensen explained they let them dry for about a day before moving them from the incubator into a plastic tub in their classroom that has a heat lamp on it. Martinell provides all the necessities for the chicks – bedding tub, lamp and food – but the classroom students do the chores.
The students get to keep the chicks in their classroom for about another week before Martinell comes in for his last lesson and then takes them to a farm that he has lined up for them. “It is a wonderful program for us because he does all of the hard work!” Mrs. Jensen explained.
“Once the students get to see the chicks growing inside the eggs to seeing them hatch and then taking care of them and seeing how fast they grow, the whole process is really an amazing experience that most kids come back and say, “I remember when we hatched eggs, that was really cool,” Mrs. Jensen said. She continued, “So, I would say they really love it! Everyone is very proud of the chicks in their own classroom and they are very excited to help do the “Chicken Chores” of feeding, watering and cleaning out the tub. They also get very excited to pet the chicks when they get old enough to handle! It is a very good experience.”
Mrs. Jensen concluded, “Just a big thanks to whatever farm(s) help Chuck out with this program and a big thanks to Chuck and the 4H County extension for all they do to promote the program!