Wonder Wednesday 8: Birdseed Feeders
The birds are hungry...
This post originally released in winter - so the birds were actually hungry! Although it's summer in my neck of the woods right now, it's winter in the southern hemisphere so this Wonder Wednesday refresh goes out to the hungry winter birds down south!
This post was also originally titled Birdseed Bagels, because we only used bagels as the carrier object, but why limit ourselves! The pine cone birdfeeder is a classic!
Are you nut free?
If you are in a nut free environment, or just prefer the less expensive price, use vegetable shortening rather than nut butter. The goal is a high fat (birds need this in cold weather) edible substance that sticks the seed to the object.
An additional important consideration in nut free environments is to make absolutely sure you get a nut free, and particularly peanut free, birdseed.
Additional Ideas:
Many bagel shops and bakeries are happy to donate day old bagels. Just arrange with them a couple days ahead of time. They are tasty for birds, squirrels, and humans alike!
Because kids love to eat, you may also want to bring some fresh bagels and sunflower seeds to let the children make bird feeders for themselves to eat also following the same procedure, but using sunflower seeds or a trail mix instead of birdseed.
Include the book: My First Book of Birds by Sharon Lovejoy, this is a great book because it is part bird fact book, part field guide, and part bird food recipe book! It is great just like all her other books and can be used at various stages of this project. Don’t let the name fool you. This book isn’t for babies, it's a fantastic resource for all ages in my opinion.
Wonder Wednesday 8: Birdseed Feeders
Materials
Nature journals, rulers, pencils, color pencils
Scissors and yarn
Carrier object - bagels (halved or uncut you can decide depending on the # of students vs. bagels you have), pinecones, cardboard tube, or any other natural object you can coat with seed and hang from a tree.
Nut butter (natural, unsalted, unsweetened - if too runny add cornmeal to thicken) or vegetable shortening
Bag of Birdseed
Dull knives or spreaders
Yarn - ideally 100% cotton or wool
2 trays or bowls - for the birdseed and bagels/pinecones
Local bird field guides
Preparation
Arrange carrier objects on a tray or bowl.
Cut lengths of yarn - depending if children can tie, and the number of children, you may want to tie hanging yarn around the objects in advance.
Pour birdseed onto a tray, or into a bowl, for dipping and coating.
Spreader knives (and hands) will get messy so have trays or tablecloths and damp cloths for clean up ready.
Procedure
Engage students in a conversation about bird observations:
Ask them if they have noticed all the birds around lately. Have them close their eyes and listen to hear birds. Remind them to save their observations until after the observation time. We must be silent to carefully hear the birds. Consider in the lives and needs of birds.
Explore the role of birds in the yard or garden. How do birds help the garden? Why do we want to attract them? Do you think wildflowers and flowers will attract birds? Why? (ex. because they provide seeds for the birds to eat)
We are going to make bird feeders to attract birds to our garden.
Tie the string around the bagel through the hole, around the top of the pinecone, or through a poked hole in a cardboard tube.
Use the spreader to apply nut butter or shortening to the sides of the carrier object.
Then dip into the birdseed. Get as much birdseed stuck coated to the object as possible.
Have the children find places, anywhere they like, around the garden to hang their feeders.
Wash up hands and surfaces.
Pass out journals and pencils. Draw the feeder and draw any birds they see in the area.
Engage with the feeders and local field guides over a period of weeks until all feeders are eaten up.
Extension: Feeder Observations
Week 1:
Offer opportunities for the children to share any bird facts they discovered. Have them discuss any birds they have seen around their feeders. Can they identify the birds’ names from their field observations and research? Count the number of birds they see near the feeders and in the garden, record the colors of the birds you see. Make a graph of birds by species, color, gender, or chart the number of birds seen each day in the morning and afternoon. Discuss the findings daily at circle times.
Week 2:
Check the feeders. Are any left uneaten? Where are the ones left located? Why do you think they are still there? Does the weather appear to make a difference in how the birds have fed? Begin to use the observations and discoveries to create a schoolyard bird field guide of our own or write a class newsletter/blog about the birds outside your door. Take time to listen for birds. Encourage drawing, poetry, etc. in their journals inspired by their bird observations.
Week 3:
Are there less birds now than there were a couple weeks ago? Why? Have they noticed that the birds they see now are different? Can you identify any? Are they migrating? Continue to observe and document birds in the journals. Discuss which birds they observed are migratory and which are year round residents. Use the charts and graphs to determine this and then check your discoveries in field guides.
Continue the process on through the seasons! Research what migratory birds need, create a birdbath, observe and discover all you can about local birds!
Seeds to Sprout
Draw Cute Cardinals
Learn to draw a cardinal step-by-step in this Wonder Wednesday 65 nature journaling project!
Teacup Feeders
Create a bird or small animal suet feeder from an old teacup in this Wonder Wednesday 19 Tea for the Tufted Titmouse project!
Hummingbird Mocktails
It's always the right season for hummingbird juice! Make this easy recipe for a special hummingbird inspired garden tea with Wonder Wednesday 129's recipe! It's one of my favoirtes!