With spring officially here and the weather beginning to reflect that, it's time to enjoy the sunshine and appreciate our flying friends. Below you will find eight bird-themed activities that can be differentiated for a variety of ages.
Egg Ramps:
Create a ramp at home by using empty paper towel rolls, cardboard, your backyard slide or your Hot Wheels ramps. Now, create a ramp experiment. How far can your plastic egg roll?
Add something heavy in your egg (money, a rock, etc). Will it roll a shorter distance or longer distance? Explore different ramp angles and document how far they go by placing a small piece of tape where the egg stops moving. Explore vocabulary such as energy, momentum, speed, force, and angle.
Raisin Science:
Start by soaking raisins or dried cranberries in boiling water for 10-20 minutes. Observe what happens to them. What changes? Create detailed observational drawings to record your noticings. After the raisins are cool, toss them in the yard for the birds to enjoy!
Bird Observation:
Find a cozy spot in your yard to sit. Have a notebook and writing utensil to document your experience. Ask yourself the following questions to prompt your observations:
How many different birds do you notice?
What colors are they?
What do you hear? Do the chirps sound the same or different?
Which bird is the biggest? Smallest?
Which is your favorite? Why?
Homemade Bird Feeder:
To create an easy homemade bird feeder, you need the following: pinecone, peanut butter (or another kind of bird-safe sticky substance), bird seed, string or yarn. Start by tying a string to the top of the pinecone. You will use the string to tie the bird feeder onto a tree branch. Now, spread the peanut butter all over the pinecone. Next, sprinkle bird seeds all over the sticky substance. Hang your bird feeder in a nearby tree and watch the birds enjoy!
Sink or Float:
Start by filling a bowl with water. The water doesn't need to be very deep, just enough to show sinking. First, test an empty plastic egg. Does it sink or float? Now, experiment using small household items. What makes your egg sink? What items keep it floating? Try Before each test, be sure to make a prediction. Try filling your plastic eggs with items such as pennies, pom poms, legos, paper clips, or anything else you find around your home.
Find-It Bottle:
To create a find-it bottle, start with a clear, empty, plastic jar or bottle. Fill your bottle about 3/4 of the way full with bird seed. Now, search your home or yard for 5-10 small items that you could hide. Once you have your tiny items, place them in your bottle. Put the lid on securely, and shake so that the items are hidden. Be sure to document what items are in your bottle so you never forget what to look for.
Plastic Egg Painting:
Separate your plastic eggs in half. Let the artist choose different paint colors and make piles of the paint on a flat surface. Now, your eggs are your paint brush! What can you create with your eggs and paint? Explore using your egg halves as both a stamp and a roller.
Bird Seed Writing Tray:
Place a thin layer of bird seed in a paper plate. Practice writing letters of the alphabet in your writing tray by dragging your finger through the seed. To "clear" your writing tray, slide the plate side to side gently. For more of a game-like feel, create cards with letters on them. The player can draw a card and whatever letter they draw is the next challenge. Below is an example using sand in a writing tray.
Enjoy the sunshine,
Ms. E Warner
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