The Bird Nest Project

Children love animals, and there is nothing more fascinating to a child than the life cycle of a creature. I would imagine that even our most ancient ancestors had children who climbed trees to see what was inside a bird's nest. This project would, ideally, work best in spring, when studying the life cycle, or, if you have the time, from fall to spring.

The Phases
The educators and designers of this project shared that they observed their 3-5 year old students making nests out of materials they found in the play yard. The children responded that they had observed a nest in a tree.

Phase 1 - Anticipatory web about bird nests, where you find them, and where birds live. Outdoor walks to view and collect artifacts.

PHASE 1

 Phase 2  - Utilizing an artist in residence, observtional journals, creation of bird feeders, and student-led creation of larger, sturdier accomodations for the birds. This phase lasted through the winter.

PHASE 2

 Phase 3 -  Culminating activity (two) including an invitational parent event as well as an in-school field trip with wildlife experts who brought in birds of prey.

PHASE 3

Phase 4 -. Reflection including the learned skills of collaboration and problem-solving. This section is not as in-depth as some of the others and I do prefer a thorough analysis of the various aspects of the projects.

PHASE 4

Look for...
The student created bird houses after they decided that the birds needed homes that would be more resilient to the conditions.

The whole project can be found at: THE WHOLE PROJECT

Helpful Resources
THE DOCUMENTATION PANEL <- check this out!