Make-It Topic: Birds

Yellow Bird

Yellow bird, yellow bird,

High in the tree,

How many yellow things

Can you see?

(Continue with other color verses. Have each child choose one color. On their turn, the children name things that he or she sees or pretends to see.)

 

Five Little Birds

One little bird with lovely feathers blue,

He sat beside a red bird.

That made two.

Two little birds singing in a tree,

A green one came to join them.

That made three.

Three little birds, wishing there were more,

Along came an orange bird.

That made four.

Four little birds, glad to be alive,

Along came a pink bird.

That made five.

Five little birds sang happy songs all day,

Then the five little birds spread their wings and flew away.

 

Hungry Birdie

(Tune: "I'm a Little Teapot")

I'm a little birdie,

Hungry as can be,

But I see a bird feeder

On that tree.

I will fly right over,

And eat my fill,

Then I will sing on your windowsill.

 

A Family of Owls

A family of owls

Lived high in a tree,

Father, Mother, and babies three.

Now, owls, as you know,

Sleep during the day,

But when night comes,

They like to play.

Over the meadow they sweep and glide.

White mice and bunnies all run and hide.

"Whoo, whoo!" calls the mother.

"It's time to rest."

And the five little owls

Fly back to their nest.

White Swan

Come, pretty swan,

(Thumb is swan's head, closed fingers are body.)

Swimming over the lake.

(Move your hands to make the swan swim along.)

I've brought you some breadcrumbs,

And small bits of cake.

(Make the swan's head dip down into the water and up again as it eats.)

Take care, pretty swan!

Swim away! Swim away!

(Move your arm quickly to make the swan swim away.)

There's a great hungry crocodile

Coming this way.

(Make crocodile motions, with jaws opening and closing.)

Snip, snap! Go his jaws.

He is frightful to see,

But he'll never catch you!

(Point outward.)

And he'll never catch me!

(Point to yourself.)

 

SCIENCE:

• Create bird feeders with the children. Fill with birdseed and place in a location suitable for observation. Keep a chart of the birds that come to your feeder.
• Become "detectives" and hunt for bird nests in your area. Use real or toy binoculars to observe the occupants of the nests.
• Collect feathers from birds from a pet store. Examine these with magnifying glasses.

GROSS MOTOR:

• Go on a walk and listen for bird songs.
• Play lively music and "fly" about the yard as "birds".
• Pretend to be baby birds hatching slowly from an egg.
• Visit an area frequented by geese, ducks or sea gulls. Throw breadcrumbs to the birds.
• Visit a pet shop to watch the birds.

ART:

• Paint with feathers.
• Create a collage with feathers.
• Use feathers with ink as quills, teaching the children about the quill pens people used to use for writing.
• Build a bird's nest. On a walk, collect natural materials like leaves and twigs, and human-made materials such as string, yarn, bits of paper. At home, shape modeling clay into a bird's nest. Line the inside and outside with the materials you collected.
• Create a picture with glue, paper and birdseed.
• Pour birdseed onto a cooking sheet. Invite the children to "write" in seed with their fingers.

SAND:

• Mix sand, small toys, and birdseed together in a container. Add a strainer, a colander and three empty bowls. Ask the children to separate the toys, sand and birdseed. Scatter the birdseed outside when finished.

FINE MOTOR:

• Provide wooden or plastic straw connecting toys, such as Tinker Toys for the children to build birdcages with.