Tags: Class Ideas, All-Seasons, Outdoor, Fall, Winter, Spring, Summer, Anytime, Birds, bird feeders, craft, Prek-1st, Hispanic Heritage Month
Time : 45 mins
Author: Vicki DeBusk
| Greeting and Review | Meet in your regular spot, review last week’s lesson if applicable. Review garden expectations. Ask “What animals do we see in the garden? Do we see a lot of birds? Can anyone name the birds we see in Central Texas and in our garden? What are some things we can do in the garden to attract more birds? Read: Fly, Little Bird – ¡Vuela, pajarito! by Inglo Bloom |
| Main Lesson | Make bird feeders |
| Activity 1 | Make Toilet Roll Bird Feeders to take home Materials Needed: toilet paper rolls (1 per student), sunflower butter, something to spread with (butter knives or craft sticks work well), bird seed, plate or container to hold the bird seed, string, newspaper to cover surfaces for easy cleanup, small paper sacks (or zip lock bags) |
| Activity 2 | Make Cheerio bird feeder to take home Materials Needed: plain cheerios, pipe cleaners (enough for each child), bowls to hold the cheerios – 1 per table |
| Cleanup | Put all supplies away. |
| Goodbye | As students line up, ask them, “How can we help birds?” or “Where will you hang your bird feeders?” |
It is a good idea to split the class into smaller groups and rotate activities.
ACTIVITY 1: Toilet Roll Bird feeders
- Cover the work area with newspapers.
- Demonstrate how the activity first – showing how to spread the sunflower butter, then rolling it in the birdseed, and finally tying a string to hang on a tree.
- Give each student a tp roll and let them spread the sunflower butter and roll in bird seeds.
- Have an adult help put string through the inside of the roll and tie together.
- Place their bird feeder in a bag to take home.
Encourage students to raise their hand and ask questions if they are unsure about something.
ACTIVITY 2 : Cheerio Bird Feeders
- Each student will need one pipe cleaner and cheerios.
- Demonstrate how to loop the end of the pipe cleaner so the cheerios will not slip off once they have bend threaded.
- Next, string the pipe cleaner with cheerios, leaving a little of the pipe cleaner at the end so you can twist the two ends together. You can make any shape, triangle, circle, square and even a heart. This is a good time to practice counting and also shapes.
- Place their bird feeder in a bag to take home.
ADDITIONAL ACTIVITIES
- Garden Maintenance
- water
- weed
- sweep and rake
2. Make Binoculars using toilet paper rolls for bird watching like the ones in the link below.
CLEANUP & GOODBYE
As students line up, ask them, “How can we help birds?” or
“Where will you hang your bird feeders?”
References
Guia de Campo Kaufman: a las Aves NorteAmericanas – birding book to help identify birds in central Texas
Backyard Birdwatching Information