It’s easy to get overwhelmed by curriculum choices, isn’t it? There is always someone who says they have the next best thing, and you’re tempted to try it. And, I think we all worry that maybe what we have picked isn’t the best for our kids.
All that being said, I think that it is safe to say that one of my kids’ favorite supplies for homeschooling has nothing to do with a book and can’t be picked up at a curriculum fair.
It is a bird feeder and some bird seed. For a very small investment at Walmart (I think I bought an $8 feeder), we have had a year full of enjoyment from it.
During a recent storm, our full bird feeder was tipped over and all of the bird seed hit the ground. I thought this was a bad thing, but imagine my surprise when we were able to do bird watching throughout the next morning. We abandoned our science plans for the day to be able to do more bird watching. Throughout the time, we counted the birds in our yard (fourteen at one point). We drew pictures of the birds that we saw, and wrote descriptions with our pictures that were at least four sentences long each. And, the thing is, my kids loved it!
With a simple bird feeder, you can find ways to incorporate your bird watching and then follow up activities into virtually every school subject! From graphs of consumption to research papers to fine art paintings — it is just a bird feeder away.
Do you have a bird feeder? Do you incorporate any school activities into its care and upkeep or observation?
Angie, who feels that in interest of full disclosure she must share that birds creep her out, can be found writing at Many Little Blessings.
photo by jackanapes
No related posts.
{ 8 comments… read them below or add one }
We have a couple of birdfeeders and have very much enjoyed them. My daughter is only 3, but can identify quite a few backyard species!
I just wrote a post about a bird nesting material wreath we made – turned out really cute!
http://runwatchplaywait.blogspot.com/2009/03/free-fun-fridays-birdie-baby-shower.html
We have a birdfeeder in our yard, and while I haven’t used it for structured activities (my oldest is only 3), my kids love watching the birds. I plan to start teaching my oldest about the different kinds of birds that we see in our yard soon.
What about bird watching in Central Park?
Take a virtual field trip with MEET ME AT THE CORNER (meetmeatthecorner.org) and learn about fun websites that link to Audubon, how to build a bird house and a list of suggestions for bird watching in your back yard.
Here’s the link:
http://www.meetmeatthecorner.org/episodes/bird-watching-in-central-park
How fun! Our neighbor has a bird feeder we can see from our kitchen window. There are always tons of birds, squirrels, chipmunks and deer eating near it.
Birds creep me out too!
We love our bird feeder! We also like to make bird feeders in the winter with pine cones, peanut butter and bird seed. My kids can sit for hours looking out our kitchen window at all the birds who visit!
I love this post! These are the things I don’t think about very often so it helps spark ideas in my teaching! Thank you for sharing!
What a wonderful idea and reminder about being simple. We just moved to this area so we are still setting up our comfort zones. We have a beautiful view out our kitchen window and noticed a beautiful red bird and blue bird this past weekend in the pine trees. I’ll go get a bird feeder and see what we can attract