Our Bird Study

And our Bird Study has begun to soar. We have observed the Cardinals at work and play as they pretend indoors as well as outdoors to be eagles, condors, or cardinals. Nests continue to be manufactured in the Block Area, created in the Rock Sculpture Center, sketched in the Art Studio, formed in the Sensory Table and constructed on tree stumps outside our AFS Outdoors Classroom. Without a doubt, “Birds” is a topic the Cardinals are certainly excited about.

To embark into our new learning experience, the Cardinals gathered for a Meeting and discussed some of the ways we can acquire information on birds. One Cardinal suggested “the internet” while another called out “the library”. That response prompted another Cardinal to suggest we go to “Michelle and ask her for bird books”. What a fantastic idea! So, we headed to our very own Lower School Library and with Michelle’s help, we checked out as many books as we could find on the topic of birds.  But, before we left Michelle read us a story about a popular hawk named, Pale Male. Meghan McCarthy’s book, City Hawk, is a wonderful story about a real-life red-tailed hawk that chooses to make New York City his home. What a fabulous story! Ask us about it!

In connection to our study, one of the Cardinal teachers brought in two types of nests and three different types of feathers that she had found throughout her early morning runs. One nest is quite small and after reading one of our resource books from the library, we determined that it may be a hummingbird’s nest. We came to this conclusion upon hearing that their nest reached to be about 2 ½ to 3 inches long. This fact lends itself to an impromptu lesson on measurement. A perfect example of how subjects are interwoven, not taught in isolation.

The other nest that was brought in was a bit larger and had dried mud all around it. This one we figured it was a robin’s nest as they tend to use mud to support the grass and twigs that make their “baby cradle.”

The feathers were also examined very closely by the Cardinals and many suggestions aroused as to whom it may belong to; e.g., condor, eagle, sparrow, duck, bluejay, parrot, hummingbird, robin.

After the read aloud and hands-on opportunity, we proceeded to create a KWL chart. This is a chart that lists details of what we Know, Want to know, and after completing our research we will list what we have Learned. This is a helpful tool that will help guide our next steps of our study.

WHAT WE KNOW:

• use mud for nests
• lay different eggs
• some birds make little nests
• use spider web to hold nest together
• Eagles make big nests
• have feathers
• some can swim
• some cannot fly
• different colors
• some eat pollen and take baths in leaves
• different beaks
• hatch from eggs
• some birds can fly

WHAT WE WANT TO KNOW:

Radha – “How do they get their color?”

Trace – “Which bird has strongest beak?”

Noel – “Do they have long beak, noses?”

Kate – “Which birds can fly and which cannot?”

Tori – “How do birds have different beaks?”

Violet – “How do birds build their nest?”

Lilly – “Why do they eat worms?”

Andrew – “(How) do they fly?”

Wyatt – “How do birds grow feathers?”

Evan – “Do some birds hop?”

Stella – “How do birds make their eggs?”

Audrey – “How do birds carry their food?”

Katy – “Why do ostriches run so fast?”

Jayden – “How do birds make baby eggs? How do they make sons?”

Young – “(Which) birds fly on the beach?”

Samuel – “What kind of birds fly in the city?”

WHAT WE LEARNED:

... stay tuned!

Ornithologists at work! To learn more about birds, we decided that we too can be each other’s resource. Each Cardinal has chosen a specific bird that she or he will research and share with the rest of the class. More on this will follow...

Do you or any one you know have any information on birds you’d like to share? Please let us know. We would love to hear all about it!