Bird Science Activities

Bird Science Activities

Bird Science Activities

Bird Science Activities for preschool through second grade.

Make stale bread bird feeders!  Take a piece of bread. Have a child cut out a shape with a large cookie cutter. Punch a hole at the top. Thread a piece of twine through the hole and tie in a loop. Let dry overnight. Spread with peanut butter and press into bird seed. Hang outside for the birds to enjoy!


Robins Nests

Talk to your class about the kinds of things birds use to make nests. Remind them that birds like small sticks and soft things to keep the eggs warm and safe. If you have a real nest to show them do so. Then give each child a brown lunch bag and take a nature walk. Have the children pretend they are birds and collect things for their nests. When you return to the classroom have a few children at a time come over and empty the contents of their bag on a table. Help the child roll down the sides of the bag all the way to the bottom of the bag shaping into a nest. Then provide glue and brushes so the children can brush the insides of the bag (bottom and sides) with glue. Then have the children press some of the things they collected into the glue. They probably won’t be able to use all they have collected. Remind them that they need to have room for the eggs. These look remarkably like the real thing. Let dry.

Robins Eggs Mix 1 cup flour and 1/3 cup salt. Slowly add a scant 1/2 cup water until a nice workable consistency. Give a part to each child to shape into marble-sized eggs for the nest. Bake in an oven for several hours at 200 degrees to dry. Mix up some robins egg blue color tempera paint and have children paint their eggs. Dry

Let children put their eggs in their nest. This looks so cute and realistic.

Collect several types of bird nests or pictures of bird nests. Discuss the ways they are built. Provide some mud, sticks, leaves and other natural materials that birds use to make nests. Let the children roll up their sleeves and dig in! Can they make a nest like a bird? Bird nest-making skills will be greatly appreciated for this activity.

Spread peanut butter on a pine cone and roll in birdseed. Hang in a tree that is visible from the classroom. Set up a bird watching station with binoculars and a journal. Encourage the children to record with words or illustrations whatever they see.

Children match eggs to a bird in a nest. Have a bird sitting in a nest with a number on its wing. The children will place the correct number of eggs in the nest. Could also be used as an alphabet matching game.

One child is chosen the be the mother bird. The mother needs a gummy worm. Blindfold her. Have a baby bird move quietly around the room and find a spot to roost. The baby bird must tweet to tell the mother where it is. Once the mother finds the baby she can give it the gummy worm! The baby is now the mother and another child is chosen to be the baby.

Bluebird, bluebird through my window.

Children stand in a circle, holding hands, arms up…windows are open. One or two bluebirds are in the center. As you sing the song the birds weave in and out the open “windows”. Sing as follows:… Bluebird, bluebird through my window, bluebird, bluebird through my window, bluebird through my window. (children bring down arms to close the window)….oh blue bird aren’t you tired. Birds want to stay inside the circle as windows are being closed. You can change the name of the birds to fit with your theme….e.g. blue jay, cardinal, sparrow, etc.

Cut out different pictures of birds and play a game which one flies which ones don’t fly.