Springtime science, religion lesson turns ‘egg’stra real for young learners

The kindergarten and preschool classes at St. John Bosco experience the final weeks of Lent and the early Easter season in a unique way.

Every spring about three weeks before Easter, resourceful parents visit local farms and secure fertilized chicken eggs. The kindergarten teachers prepare the students for the chicks’ arrival by teaching about the inside of an egg and what hatches from an egg. They learn “big” words like “oviparous” and create projects and write about God’s creatures that hatch from eggs.

(courtesy photo)

Throughout the 21-day incubation cycle, students see first-hand the life cycle of the chick. They view the embryo, veins, and air space. Journaling opportunities allow the kindergarten students to draw, label and color their incubated eggs, outlining different stages of the life cycle.

Students anxiously await Hatch Day, excitedly huddled around the incubator watching, waiting, and praying for the chick to “pip” and “zip” until they hatch. Jamie Bescak’s and Samantha Espar’s kindergarten classes welcomed 14 baby chicks into the world and hosted a “Chick Shower” to celebrate their long-awaited arrival just in time for Easter.  


Some preschoolers and kindergartners took the time to celebrate Easter with their school’s Ahwatukee community too.