ACTIVITY SHEET SCIENCE BEHIND NESTS Building a bird’s nest is a big responsibility. Imagine you are a bird, and you need a nest to lay your eggs. You are only able to build this nest from things that you can find around you. Your nest needs to be strong enough to withstand rain, storms, and strong winds, but still be soft enough to keep your eggs from breaking and keep the baby birds safe and warm. A nest also needs to provide support for the parents and the young to live in, day and night, for many weeks. It needs to be camouflaged, provide shelter, and protect those inside the nest from predators. Wow, nests are very important! Birds are excellent builders, and they can get very creative with their building materials. It is common to see nests with things like twigs, feathers, grass, and moss, but you can also find nests that have spider webs, hair, paper towels, string, pieces of material, and even fishing line woven in. Some birds have special skills and can tie knots, while others keep harmful bugs away from the babies by building their nests out of grasses and leaves that the insects don’t like. Birds definitely need to know what they are doing in order to build a safe space for their young.
KEY TERMS • Responsibility - having the job of taking care of something. • Support - to hold something up or keep something from falling. • Camouflage - something that protects an animal by making it difficult to see in the area around it. • Shelter - a structure that protects people or animals. • Predator - an animal that eats other animals. • Moss - a type of green plant with very small leaves that grow on rocks or wet ground. • Material - cloth or fabric. • Insect - a small animal that has six legs, a body formed of three parts and may have wings. 401 SW Second Street • Fort Lauderdale, FL 33312 • 954.467.6637
ACTIVITY SHEET BUILDING A BIRDS NEST KEY TERMS • Nest - a structure or place for birds to lay eggs and nurture young. • Egg - a hard shell that contains a baby that is growing.
SUPPLIES
STEPS
• Items from your yard, including leaves, grass and moss • Soft craft supplies, including feathers, string and pieces of fabric • Scissors • Glue • Small bowl • Play-Doh or clay
1. Start your nest in the bowl with some of the stronger supplies gathered such as leaves and grass. You may need to use some glue to stick the items together. Press things down to make a small cup shape. 2. Weave some of your softer craft supplies into your nest to make a soft area for your “eggs” to rest. 3. Roll some eggs out of your Play-Doh and place them in your nest.
EXPLORATION Look around the trees in your neighborhood to see if you can spot some bird nests 401 SW Second Street • Fort Lauderdale, FL 33312 • 954.467.6637
ACTIVITY SHEET BE A BIRD FINDER KEY TERMS • Nest - a structure or place for birds to lay eggs and nurture young. • Egg - a hard shell that contains a baby that is growing.
SUPPLIES • MODS printable • Pencil
STEPS
Cardinal
Heron
Ibis
Blue Jay
1. Go outside and look in trees, water and the sky for birds. 2. Circle the birds you find.
EXPLORATION I wonder if birds look the same or different in other states. 401 SW Second Street • Fort Lauderdale, FL 33312 • 954.467.6637