Over the past fortnight, the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) classrooms at Roger Ascham Primary School have been filled with a very specific sound: the soft cheeping of newborn chicks. As part of our commitment to providing a rich, hands-on curriculum, we were delighted to welcome the ‘Living Eggs’ ethical chick hatching programme into our setting.

The experience began with the arrival of a special incubator containing ten eggs. This provided a wonderful opportunity for our pupils to learn about patience and care. Under the watchful eyes of their teachers, the children monitored the temperature and waited expectantly for the first signs of life.

The excitement reached its peak when the first "pips" appeared on the shells. The children at Roger Ascham Primary School demonstrated remarkable empathy and quiet observation as they watched the chicks slowly struggle out of their shells. This real-world experience allowed our pupils to engage with the natural world in a way that a textbook simply cannot replicate.

Once the chicks had dried and moved into their brooding box, the children took on the responsibility of ensuring they had plenty of food and fresh water. Through this, the pupils have been exploring several key areas of learning, including:

• Understanding the world: Learning about life cycles and the needs of living things.

• Communication and language: Using new vocabulary to describe the texture of feathers and the movements of the chicks.

• Personal, social, and emotional development: Practising being gentle and taking turns to hold our new feathered friends.

As the two-week programme draws to a close, the children have been busy documenting their journey through drawings and dictated stories. While the chicks will soon move on to their new homes on a farm, the memories and lessons gained at Roger Ascham Primary School will certainly stay with our pupils for a long time to come.