"Project Chick" Hatches at Hathaway Elementary School

Project Chick, sponsored by Historic New England, officially "hatched" Thursday at .

Project Chick's mission "is to collect and preserve buildings, landscapes and objects dating from the seventeenth century to the present and use them to keep history alive, helping people develop a deeper understanding and enjoyment of New England life and an appreciation for its preservation. Students learn about bird life cycles while helping to preserve the endangered Dominique chicken breed."

, retired school teacher representing Casey Farm in Saunderstown was on hand Thursday morning at Hathaway Elementary School with everything needed to incubate eggs.

She also engaged the students in a hands-on presentation about Dominique chickens and eggs.

The entire 100 students in the first grade class embarked Thursday on a 21-day journey through the life cycle of a baby chicken. The students will care for eggs until baby chicks hatch.

Parent Nicole Lucenti thinks this is "a wonderful program."

"It gets the kids to become inquisitive and interested in science, and is a true hands-on experience," she said. "I feel everybody learns more from doing than perhaps from reading, and this is something they will remember their whole lives."

After the eggs hatch, the chicks will be transferred back to Casey Farm in Saunderstown, where they will live. The program coincides with a field trip the kids make, showing the entire "living farm," rounding out the experience.

The event on Thursday also coincided with Rhode Island Agriculture Day, a program held at the State House.