PICTURES: Reception youngsters at Blackpool school watch chicks hatch inside incubator

Those were two of the rules youngsters at Revoe Learning Academy came up with after welcoming in some new feathered friends.

Nine eggs arrived alongside an incubator and a challenge for reception children at the Blackpool primary school: Take care of them for two weeks.

Teacher Lucy Harrison said: “The children have been very excited and have been researching the life cycle and care of chicks using books and the internet.

“A chick naming competition has had some imaginative entries, including Rosalina, Sonic, and Cherry, and the children have been inspired to create their own chicks in our craft area.

“We have been problem solving in maths, working out how many have hatched, and how many are yet to hatch, how many female and how many male chicks there are, or how many claws and wings a group of chicks have.

“The experience has provided a fantastic opportunity to develop new vocabulary and to build on language skills in general by making comparisons and talking about similarities and differences.”

When holding one of the chicks, youngster Rabia said: “It feels soft, like a cat.”

Zayn told a visitor to the classroom: “We had nine eggs to start with, seven of them hatched, two are still eggs. And Luke added: “They go tap, tap, then sleep, tap, tap, then sleep.

“Then they hatch. We’ve got to keep them warm.”

The eggs will be returned to Bowland Farm after spending time with the school’s children.