Theme for 1st half of May 1997

To help children gain a better appreciation for birds, and to help them understand some of the basic information about birds (they hatch from eggs, what they eat, migration, etc.).

1. Use stickers of birds as rewards.
2. Suspend plastic or posterboard birds from ceiling (you can enlarge some graphics from a printing program, print them out in color or in "outline" form and color them yourself, then use rubber cement to attach them to posterboard).
3. Put window stickees of birds on windows, refrigerator, white board, or mirrors.
4. Put posters/pictures of birds on walls.

Books

• Birds of the World by Victoria Crenson. New York: Crescent Books, 1988.
• Are You My Mother? by P.D. Eastman. New York: Beginner Books, 1960.
• The Best Nest by P.D. Eastman. New York: Beginner Books.
• Any books/field guides, etc. with pictures of birds, and simple explanations about different birds.
• Any stories about birds.

Videos

• Beginner Book Video: P.D. Eastman, Are You My Mother? and two other P.D. Eastman classics (Go, Dog, Go and The Best Nest), Random House Video, 1991. Approx. 30 min.
• Children's Circle: Owl Moon and Other Stories, Weston: Weston Woods Studio, Inc., 1990.
• Tell Me Why: Birds & Rodents. Penguin Productions, 1987. 30 min.
• Eyewitness: Bird. Dorling Kindersley Ltd. and BBC Lionheart Television Intl., Inc., 1994. Approx. 35 min.
• Shamu & You: Exploring the World of Birds. Batavia: Video Treasures, Inc., 1992. Approx. 30 min.
• Willy the Sparrow. Murray, Utah: Feature Films for Families, 1993. 75 min.

• Show children a real bird's nest and eggs.
• If possible, allow children to watch a bird or chick hatch. If not possible to do this live, try to find it on a video.
• Find some feathers and examine them closely (under a microscope, if possible).
• Make a set of wings from posterboard. Attach string, elastic, or ribbon to secure to child's arms. Let child pretend to be a bird -- running and flapping. Talk about what kind of bird the child is. Ask questions like: What color are you? What do you sound like? What do you eat? Direct some conversation toward how it feels when the child flaps her/his wings down (the wind resistance). For older children you can explain how this helps the bird lift off and fly.
• Find a recording of different bird calls, songs, etc. Help the children distinguish between some of the more distinctive sounds. Then take a walk (in the woods, if possible) and see if you can hear any of these sounds (owl, woodpecker, crow, bluejay, are very distinctive). You could take a tape player and record the bird sounds you hear. Also take along binoculars to better see these birds.