Quail visit brings farm fun to Vina Pre-K

VINA — Feathered friends brought farmyard fun to Savannah Smith’s Pre-K class last week as students learned about quail during the school’s annual Farm Week celebration.

Kayla Frederick of Russellville volunteered to visit the class with four of her celadon coturnix quail, a type of bird that lays small blue eggs.

She said she noticed a Facebook post asking for farm animals and decided to bring quail since they are not commonly seen. The offer gave her a chance to share something unique with the children.

“They had posted asking if anyone had any farm animals they could bring to class,” Frederick said. “You don’t see quail very often, and I have them, so I really enjoyed it.”

Frederick showed the children both quail and chicken eggs, pointing out how the inside looked the same even though the quail egg was much smaller.

The activities gave the children several ways to interact with the quail.

“The kids liked being able to pet them, and they thought it was really funny when one of my quail flew up out of the box in the middle of the room,” she said.

CONTRIBUTED/VHS
Russellville’s Kayla Frederick introduces four of her quail to Savannah Smith’s Pre-K classroom in Vina.

The surprise gave the children even more reason to stay engaged.

“I let them hold quail eggs, and then I gave them each a feather to keep. They thought that was really cool.”

Smith said the visit made a lasting impression.

“The kids loved it,” she said. “They were thrilled with excitement. I know that was a core memory made. They’ll always remember the day a quail came into the classroom and jumped around the room.”

She said hands-on learning is especially valuable for four-yearolds.

“Everybody learns differently, and getting hands-on experiences at this age is important,” Smith said. “They may not fully understand abstract ideas yet, but they’ll remember what they saw and felt. They can build additional learning off that as they get older.”

Frederick has been raising quail for about two to three years, along with chickens and rabbits, on what she calls her backyard mini-farm.

She said the birds grow and mature quickly, making them an interesting choice to raise. That quick turnaround is part of what makes them stand out to young learners and farmers alike.

“Chickens can take about six months to start laying eggs,” Frederick said. “Quail start laying in about eight weeks. Quail eggs hatch in about 16 days, compared to 21 for chickens and 28 for ducks. They mature much faster than other birds.”

She raises the quail for both eggs and meat, and her children have grown up seeing the process firsthand.

“Kids nowadays, a lot of them think food just comes from the grocery store,” Frederick said. “My kids know differently — that we have our own meat and egg sources at home if needed.”

Her passion for teaching doesn’t stop at home. At Phil Campbell, she set up incubators in Pre-K so children could hatch eggs. She also provided fertile eggs for a high school agriculture class to hatch.

Both projects gave students the chance to watch life unfold before their eyes.

Farm Week is a recurring tradition in Smith’s classroom. Each year, the variety of animals keeps the students curious and engaged.

In the spring, the class also holds a Pet Week, inviting community members to bring animals ranging from dogs and cats to turtles and even geckos.

For Smith, the quail visit was a highlight.

“Seeing the kids happy and excited was the best part,” she said. “They were still talking about it the next day.”