Woodfill Elementary in Fort Thomas, Kentucky (Campbell County) began incubating chicks with 4-H in Spring 2023. The three second grade teachers were delighted by how engaged the students were and noticed the lasting educational impact the program was having on their students and community. They decided to take it even further in 2024 by purchasing their own incubators through grant assistance. The students created an application for chicken adoption and the teachers invited a city official and a farmer to the classroom to talk about local ordinances and the ideal space and shelter for the animals.

This year, the teachers expanded the educational opportunities by partnering with the local high school. High school students mentored the second graders and taught them how to design and build their own website, t-shirts, and brochures. They also helped them document their journey through the use of photography and video editing.

For the past two years in art class, each of the 75 second grade students sculpted and painted a unique clay chick to use as part of a fundraiser. The teachers arranged for a booth at the Fort Thomas Earth Day celebration (the largest Earth Day celebration in Northern Kentucky). The students wore the shirts they designed, passed out their brochures, and had a handy QR code for guests to check out their website, apply to adopt chickens, and make a donation to 4-H. Anyone who donated to 4-H was invited to take a clay chick. The event was well-attended, and the students enthusiastically answered questions about chickens and the incubation project.

The National 4-H Council reported that 27 donations were received from their efforts, totaling $560. This year, the group also accepted cash donations, totaling $150, which were donated to Campbell County 4-H for camp scholarships.

Woodfill teachers shared their incubation success with their colleagues at a district wide in-service, inspiring another school, Moyer Elementary, to contact Campbell County 4-H to begin their own program with 100 third grade students. Moyer teachers had been unsuccessful with incubation efforts in the past, but by involving 4-H, they experienced a successful incubation this spring. Both schools have already started planning for 2026!

Here is the link to Woodfill’s website, which shows everything they worked on and who was involved: https://sites.google.com/fortthomas.kyschools.us/wes2ndgradechicks/home