Fall is a great time for bird watching. Almost everything is
on the move: songbirds, shorebirds, raptors, and even some waterfowl. Weekly
migration forecasts are available from the
Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s BirdCast
project to help you know what to look for and which days to go out.
Try these fun ideas from the KinderNature website
to help your students explore the wonderful world of birds.
Birds
and Worms
Using clothespins for beaks and have children pick-up worms (pieces of string, yarn or macaroni) with their beaks. Discuss how birds eat with their beaks and how worms are camouflaged.
Using clothespins for beaks and have children pick-up worms (pieces of string, yarn or macaroni) with their beaks. Discuss how birds eat with their beaks and how worms are camouflaged.
Nest Building
Show examples of a variety of nests and materials that birds
use. Using 2 fingers for beaks have the children build a nest with shredded
paper, clay etc. Go on a tour of their nest homes and have each child show off
their nest.
Dress like a Bird
Go over the characteristics of birds: wings, feathers,
beaks, feet, eggs, and nests. Using bird costume, dress someone up as a bird.
Fly Away
Make a set of wings for each child by cutting a pair of wing
shapes out of construction paper and taping them to his or her wrists. Let your
“birds” experiment with their wings. Have them show you how they fly fast and
slow, high and low. Ask them to swirl and twirl in the sky as they fly
carefully around the room.
Bird Wings
Let your children create their own bird wings, using a paper
towel tube. Draw a straight line from the top of the tube to the bottom. Cut
along this line. Cut different colored crepe paper into strips and tape or
staple along the cut line. Children can then slip the paper towel tube onto
their arm and flap their wings.
Bird Zipline
Make cardboard cut-outs of common birds in flight
(red-winged black bird, cardinal, blue jay, Canada goose, owl, robin, bluebird,
chickadee, goldfinch and woodpecker). Glue a toilet paper tube or a 1” drinking
straw to the back of each cut-out bird. Put a string through the tube or straw
and allow the birds to zip along the string. Explain about bird migration. Take
children on a hike through a backyard or a park. Place the zipline in a tree
and have students follow along with binoculars and identify each as they zip
past. Or have children lie on their backs with their binoculars while you send
a cutout bird down the zipline.
Toilet Paper Tube Binoculars
Tape toilet paper tubes or paper towel tubes cut in half together.
Have children decorate the binoculars. Punch one hole in the end of each tube.
Tie string to tubes. This will be the strap of the binoculars so they can be
worn around the neck. This can be a strangle hazard. Do not connect tubes or do
not add strap to prevent this hazard.
Reading Connections
Allen, K. 2006. Why Do Birds Fly South in the Winter?: A
Book About Migration. Capstone Press.
Arnosky, J. 1997. Bird
Watcher. Random House Children's Books.
Arnosky, J. 1993. Crinkleroot's
25 Birds Every Child Should Know. Simon & Schuster Children's
Publishing.
Arnosky, J. 1992. Crinkleroot's
Guide to Knowing the Birds. Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing.
Arnosky, J. 2002. Watching
Water Birds. National Geographic Society Children's Books.
Bailey, D. 1992. Birds:
How to Watch and Understand the Fascinating World of Birds. DK Publishing,
Inc.
Boring, M. and L. Garrow. 1998. Bird, Nests, and Eggs. National Book Network.
Collard, S.B. 2002. Beaks!
Charlesbridge Publishing, Inc.
Crossingham, J. 1997. What
Is Migration. Crabtree Publishing Company.
Gans, R. 1996. How Do
Birds Find their Way? (Let’s-Read-and-Find-Out Science 2). Harper Trophy.
Garelick, M. 1995. What
Makes a Bird a Bird? Mondo Publishing.
Herkert, B. 2001. Birds
in Your Backyard. Dawn Publications.
Lerner, C. 2001. On the Wing: American Birds in
Migration. HarperCollins.
Pascoe, E., et al. 2000. How and Why Birds Use Their Bills (How and Why Series). Creative Teaching
Press, Inc.
Rabe, T. and A. Ruiz. 1998. Fine Feathered Friends: All About Birds (Cat in the Hat's Learning
Library). Random House Children's Books.
Ray, M. 2004. Welcome
Brown Bird. Harcourt Children’s Books.
Sayre, A. 1998. Home
At Last – A Song of Migration. Henry Holt & Company.
Apps for Birding with
Kids
Merlin
This app makes bird identification so simple it seems like
magic. Because of the simple, user-friendly interface, birding becomes both
easy and fun. To identify a bird, Merlin first asks five questions – when,
where, size, color, and activity of the bird observed. Using eBird data, Merlin
then gives the most common species around you who fit the criteria provided. It
also provides 1,000+ photo resources, tips from the Cornell Lab of
Ornithology’s expert birders, and bird sounds from the Cornell Lab’s Macaulay
Library. Cost: Free for iOS and Android users.
BirdsEye Bird Finding
Guide*
The app provides information and population statistics on
1,000+ birds across North America. You can view seasonal populations, current
lists of birds reported near your location, and notifications of when rare
birds are observed in your area. Looking for an outdoor space to take kids
birding? Open up the “Browse by Location tab in the app and you can view
checklists that were recently submitted in nearby areas. These features will
help you feel prepared as you head outside to discover birds with kids. Cost:
Free for iOS and Android users.
Helpful Websites
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