Lynn Kindergarten Class Rescues Ducklings
LYNN (CBS) - This is a story about some extremely lucky ducks, rescued while they were still in their eggs and now nurtured by a kindergarten class in Lynn. And the children are getting almost as much out of the experience as the ducklings.
They're the latest addition to the kindergarten class at St. Pius V school in Lynn. Eight ducklings, just two days old. "I think they're cute and, like, amazing," says six-year-old James Kelly Smith. It's even more amazing they survived. Last month a mother duck laid her eggs under a bush at the school, but nature intervened.
"There was a dog around and apparently it scared the mother duck a bit," says kindergarten teacher Cherie Maestranzi. The mother duck took off. "We were concerned, because it was a chilly April night, that the eggs wouldn't survive," adds Maestranzi.
Seven hours passed, and at nine o'clock that night, teachers brought the eggs to the kindergarten room where there was an incubator usually used to hatch chickens for a class project. It worked. And two days ago, eight ducklings were born. "When they hatched it was kind of cool and exciting," says six-year-old Riley Maguire. Her classmate Allison Marino adds, "I like the ducks because they're fluffy."
Out of the incubator now, a light bulb keeps them warm. And for the past several weeks, the kids have been learning about their new classmates. "They have oil on their feathers so they don't get water on them," says kindergartner Aviana Panacopoulos. Five-year-old Jonathan says, "They lay eggs in a nest made of sticks."
"The best part is that the little children are experiencing the wonder of it," says their teacher. And the kids are ready to pick names. Some possibilities: Fred, Emily, Quack, Jack and Lack.
Recently the mother duck returned to the school grounds, so they're hoping they can reunite the ducklings with their mom.
