Growing Moorhen Chicks {Homeschool Pond Study Week 20}

One of the greatest gifts of homeschool life is the ability to slow down and truly notice the natural world around us. This week, during week 20 of our year-long pond study, we were completely amazed by how quickly our growing moorhen chicks are developing. The transformation over just a few weeks has been nothing short of astounding and it’s been a wonderful real-life science lesson for our homeschool.

Find out more! If you’d like to know more about why we decided to do a year long pond study, this is the post for you!

Observing Our Growing Moorhen Chicks Through the Weeks

Read More! We learnt all about the variety of pond birds in the UK and the summer pond fauna

Weeks 10–15: Nesting Without Chicks

For several weeks, we noticed consistent nesting behavior but no visible chicks. This period was a great opportunity to talk about patience, incubation, and how much of nature’s work happens unseen.

Click here to read about the animals and plants we have found around our pond

Read about our very own pond ecosystem as well as our examination of the pond water

Week 16: Chicks at Last!

Finally, the chicks appeared! They were straggly, fluffy, and jet black, with tiny flashes of red on their beaks. Seeing them for the first time sparked excitement and curiosity, especially for younger homeschoolers who had been eagerly waiting.

Week 17: Small but Growing

There wasn’t a huge visual change this week. The chicks were still fluffy, but they had begun filling out, and their red beaks remained noticeable. This was a great moment to discuss gradual growth and why change isn’t always dramatic day to day.

Pond pollution is one thing that would affect the number and variety of plants and trees in our UK pond. Read about it here and see what we found.

Week 18: Missed Observations

We didn’t spot the chicks this week, which led to some excellent homeschool conversations about wildlife behavior, safety, and how animals sometimes stay hidden as they grow.

Week 19: Losing the Fluff

By week 19, the chicks had lost most of their fluffy appearance. Their colouring shifted to a pale brown, and their beaks turned orangey with black patches. This visible change helped reinforce lessons about adaptation and development.

Week 20: Almost All Grown Up

This week’s chick looks completely different from the one we first met. The fluffy baby look is gone, replaced by sleek feathers. The beak has lost all visible colour, for now! We’re curious to see whether that iconic moorhen orange returns. It’s a bittersweet homeschool moment, watching them grow so quickly.

Week 22 Update: Nearly Full Size

Just two weeks later, the chick is almost the size of its mother. While still brown, the tips of the wings are darkening to the moorhen’s characteristic black. The beak also appears to be returning to an orangey hue. We’ll continue adding weekly photos until the chicks are fully grown.

Why a Pond Study Is Perfect for Homeschool Science

A long-term pond study encourages observation, journaling, patience, and scientific thinking. It’s a gentle but powerful way to teach life cycles, habitats, and seasonal change, without worksheets or screens. Watching baby moorhen chicks grow has brought textbook concepts to life in a way no curriculum ever could.

Growing Moorhen Chicks: Reflection Questions for Homeschoolers

Use these questions to spark discussion or nature journaling:

1. What changes did you notice in the moorhen chicks over time?
2. Why do you think their colouring changes as they grow?
3. How does observing animals weekly help us notice details we might otherwise miss?
4. What emotions do you feel when you watch animals grow and change?
5. How is this real-life observation different from learning about birds in a book?

I have written another post all about these same Moorhen chicks. Just click on the link!

Hands-On Activities to Extend the Lesson

1. Nature Journaling
Have your child draw the chicks each week and label changes in feathers, size, and beak colour.

2. Timeline Craft
Create a visual timeline showing the chicks’ growth from week 16 to week 22 using drawings or printed photos.

3. Feather Study
Compare photos of adult moorhens and chicks. Discuss why feathers change and how they help birds survive.

4. Pond Habitat Map
Draw a map of the pond ecosystem, including plants, insects, birds, and water sources.

5. Measurement & Math
Estimate and compare chick sizes over time using familiar objects (e.g., “as big as an apple”).

Check out last week’s post all about our gorgeous heron!

Watching these chicks grow has reminded us why we chose homeschool life in the first place, to learn deeply, live seasonally, and connect meaningfully with the world around us. Sigh… they really do grow up so fast.