Hands-on biology lessons: A mother hen and her four chicks have moved in at the Camerloher high school
Created: 07/24/2022, 11:00 am
Part of the working group chickens: (from left) Alina Wallentin (Q11), Magdalena Fischer (10c), Magdalena Popp (7a), Leonie Sailer (7a), Anna-Lena Sailer (Q11) and teacher Cornelia Meinhardt, who leads the group.
© Span wheel
Who needs school dogs when you can have school chickens?
It's now available at the Camerloher-Gymnasium in Freising.
A pilot project that inspires the entire school family.
Freising
– There are already school dogs at several Bavarian schools, but which one has its own chickens?
A hen and her four chicks moved in at the Camerloher-Gymnasium in Freising some time ago.
Now there is hands-on biology lessons.
The idea came from the Q11 students Alina Wallentin and Anna-Lena Sailer.
They enjoyed the many chicks on Anna-Lena's parents' farm.
"Such chicks with a hen on our school grounds would be great.
Our classmates would certainly be happy about that," they both thought.
working group founded
A year passed before the chickens moved in on the Camerloher.
"We had to overcome many hurdles." The easiest thing was to find a teacher to lead the new AK chickens.
Biology and chemistry teacher Cornelia Meinhardt keeps a couple of chickens at home and was there right away.
Finding other members for the AK was also completely problem-free.
"Meanwhile our working group has 40 members."
The four chicks and the mother hen often get cuddles from the schoolgirls.
Among other things, they learn to take responsibility.
© Span wheel
The initiators were aware that the supply of chickens must be guaranteed around the clock, seven days a week.
And that requires a lot of employees.
The support service is perfectly organized and minutes are kept on an ongoing basis.
In addition to AK leader Meinhardt, other teachers have agreed to support the care of the chicks with their hens.
Because teacher Anke Frantzke provided a small chicken coop on loan and the parents' association ensured the financing of the remaining equipment, another important step towards the realization of the project was taken relatively quickly.
(By the way: everything from the region is now also available in our regular Freising newsletter.)
Then it got bureaucratic – and therefore difficult.
Keeping chickens on school property is not a requirement of school building regulations.
Alina and Anna-Lena recall that the negotiations with the district office, the responsible material expenditure carrier, were not easy and dragged on for a long time.
"We had to meet a lot of requirements.
For example, animal welfare must be ensured and waste disposal must be precisely regulated and much more.” Finally, the district office gave the go-ahead for keeping chickens – and thus also for a chicken on the Sailer family farm to hatch eggs.
Two weeks after the Pentecost holidays, the hen with her four chicks moved to the pretty Camerloher chicken coop.
The animals cannot be stressed
Since then, the four chicks with their mother hen have been a real magnet for the students.
During the breaks, they can also hold the chicks and the chicken in their hands and cuddle with them.
"That's very important," say Alina and Anna-Lena.
"Because the chicks and hens are used to people from an early age, they don't let it stress them at all." Mother hen and chicks are also allowed to leave the stable regularly and scratch and peck on the school grounds as they please.
They can then simply be lured back into the stable with oatmeal.
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When their classmates cuddle with the animals, Alina and Anna-Lena tell them about chickens and explain what needs to be considered when keeping them – hands-on biology lessons.
For Alina and Anna-Lena and AK leader Cornelia Meinhardt, the high educational value of the project is beyond question: The children could learn to take responsibility and follow important rules when dealing with animals.
To be continued
It is a pity, however, that the bureaucracy only allows chickens to be kept for six weeks.
So the chicks have to leave the Camerloher site with their mother hen on the last day of school.
Cornelia Meinhardt takes the chicks into her home.
And the hen returns to the Sailers' farm.
But that should not be the end of the AK chickens.
"It would be a pity if this pilot project could not be continued," says Cornelia Meinhardt.
How it could be revived in the coming year is currently being considered.
The chances shouldn't be too bad, because the school management is also enthusiastic about the chicken project, emphasizes deputy headmistress Hanne Singer.
"It's very nice what the students have brought to life here."
You can find more current news from the district of Freising at Merkur.de/Freising.
