Chick embryology inspires a child’s natural curiosity about living things. The embryology project also conforms to the Kentucky Department of Education and National Science Standards competencies. The Trimble County Cooperative Agents for Agriculture and 4-H responded to a request from a Bedford Elementary School kindergarten teacher for assistance with this project in 2013. Agents conducted the program and provided leader materials and supplies for the project in which more than sixty kindergarten youth participated.  In 2020, due to COVID-19, we were not able to present this program in the school classrooms.  We had to adjust and do the whole program via Facebook live and YouTube.  The agent placed the eggs in the incubator in the office and did daily postings on the development of the chicks.  This opened this project up to many more participants, as it was not restricted to only Kindergarten, 4th, 5th and 6th grades.  There was over 3000 views from the 6 videos that we posted during this online project.

Students acquired knowledge in the following competencies: (1) Life Cycles – Animals have life cycles including birth, maturation, reproduction, and death. Animals also closely resemble their parents. (2) Living things have basic needs for survival – suitable habitat, food, air, water. Youth also demonstrated competencies in: (1) Calendar Skills – students marked off each calendar day during the twenty-one day development of the chicks before hatching. (2) Writing Skills – Students developed a written report of what they had learned during the embryology project. (3) Vocabulary – In another written piece, each student was able to define the word “oviparous” as an egg laying animal. They also named other animals which reproduce by laying eggs. (4) Sequencing – Students drew and colored the reproductive cycle of the baby chicks. Each of the written pieces was displayed on the school hallways for other students and parents to view.