The Idaho Lottery’s Classroom Wishlist program has been an overwhelming success during the current school year. And there have been some amazing deliveries, but perhaps nothing generating more excitement than when the Lottery visited Ririe Elementary to deliver baby chicken starter kits to Nicole Weight’s 1st grade classroom.
The Idaho 1st grade science standards require students to learn about life science in two different ways; determining patterns in behavior of parents and offspring that help offspring survive, AND, use models to describe that organisms have unique and diverse life cycles, but all have in common birth, growth, reproduction, and death.
“Many of my students come from farming families and have strong connections to livestock. Using this background knowledge, I would like to connect their interests with our science standards and incubate poultry in our classroom,” asked Mrs. Weight when she made her request in February. “This will also be a great way to introduce life cycles and survival instincts to my students unfamiliar with animals.”
On a beautiful spring-like morning, the Lottery made the special delivery to her classroom and were greeted with excitement and enthusiasm from the students when they saw the boxes. Mrs. Weight plan was to introduce the subject before Spring Break. When the students returned from Spring Break, the eggs would be incubating and ready to hatch in just a couple of weeks.
And best of all, when the learning unit is over, the baby chickens will have a good home in Mrs. Weight’s mother’s chicken coop on the family farm.
Other Recent Classroom Wishlist Projects Funded:
- Victory Middle School, Meridian, $720 for Scientific Calculators
- Glenns Ferry Elementary School, Glenns Ferry, $86 for Name Tags and STEM Activities
- I.B Perrine Elementary, Twin Falls, $3,079.07 for age level books
- Parma High School, Parma, $3,489.75 for tables and chairs
- Mill Creek Elementary, Middleton, $782.02 for classroom supplies
- I.T. Stoddard, Blackfoot, $1,325.07 for Science of Reading supplies
- Leadore School, Leadore, $646.02 for Interactive and Imaginative Play tools
