Today gave us an unplanned lesson in caretaking. We discovered our chickens had picked up mites, so the morning turned into chicken bath time followed by a full deep clean of the coop and run to make sure we handled it completely.
The kids didn’t do the scrubbing themselves, but they were right there with us the whole time, watching closely. Lots of pointing at the wet chickens, a few concerned little gasps, and more than one attempt to reach in and “help.” We narrated as we went: the chickens have itchy bugs, we’re giving them a bath, now they’ll feel better. It was simple, real language for simple, real curiosity.
It ended up being a nice, if unplanned, window into a couple of the How Does Learning Happen? foundations. Well-Being and Engagement. The chickens’ comfort mattered to us, and you could tell it mattered to the kids too, even without the words for it yet. That’s the kind of learning that doesn’t come from a lesson plan.
It also gave us a chance to lean on a few of the Seven Grandfather Teachings as we worked; Respect, for the chickens and what they needed, Honesty, in naming a problem plainly instead of glossing over it, and a bit of Wisdom, in remembering that caring for something sometimes means doing the less glamorous work, not just the fun parts.
The coop is clean, the chickens are freshly bathed and doing well, and the kids got a front-row seat to what it looks like to take care of a creature properly.
Sorrel & Cedar ELC 