MOOSEHEART, IL - They dubbed it an "Eggciting Open House," and given the suspense involved, one could eggs-cuse all sorts of bad puns, as all eyes were riveted to the chicken eggs sitting in an incubator in a Mooseheart Elementary School classroom.

And -- as if on cue -- tiny beaks began to work their way through the eggshells and Mooseheart’s second- and third-graders had baby chickens in their classroom.

The hatching took place Wednesday, May 9, marking the end of the students’ embryology unit study.

While the focal point of the classroom was the incubator and the hatching chicks, the room was turned into a 10-station education center into many aspects of how eggs turn into chicks. Visitors could see what a chick looks like in the egg, follow the 21-day hatching cycle, and see how the embryo develops before hatching. There was even a chance to play a little chicken Tic-Tac-Toe!

But all eyes kept returning to the incubator and the eggs, which came from the University of Illinois Extension, Kane County - an agriculture-based center based in St. Charles.

And if you’re wondering what’s to become of the chicks, they’re destined for life at the Mooseheart farm, which has a number of poultry cages.

Mooseheart Child City & School is a 1,000-acre community and school for children and teens in need of a secure home, located just south of Batavia, IL, between Illinois Route 31 and Randall Road.

Founded in 1913, Mooseheart is supported completely through private donations - the great majority of which come from the 1.1 million men and women of the Moose fraternal organization, in more than 1,900 Lodges and 1,600 Chapters located throughout the U.S., Canada, Great Britain and Bermuda. Moose International headquarters is located on the Mooseheart campus.

Since its founding, Mooseheart has operated a complete, accredited kindergarten-through-high-school academic program, plus art, music, vocational training and interscholastic sports. It is an extremely nurturing and student-tailored program, with an average student-teacher ratio of 12-1.

Mooseheart students who complete their studies with a 3.0 GPA or better (4.0=A) are eligible for up to five years of annually renewable scholarship funding, covering tuition, room and board in an amount comparable to that required for an in-state student at an Illinois public university.

Mooseheart is currently home to nearly 250 students, ranging in age from preschoolers to high school seniors. Applications for admission to Mooseheart are considered from any family whose children are, for whatever reason, lacking a stable home environment. Mooseheart boasts its own U.S. Post Office and a fully functioning branch of Fifth Third Bank.

In addition to Mooseheart, Moose International also supports Moosehaven, a 70-acre retirement community near Jacksonville, FL founded in 1922; and conducts more than $90 million worth of community service programs annually.

Founded in 1888, the Moose organization has long offered its members an opportunity to do good for others while celebrating life, with family, social, and sporting activities. For more information on the Moose organization, visit the websites at www.Mooseintl.org and www.Mooseheart.org or call 630-966-2229.