We are a bird lovin’ family. So, the kids are having a lot of fun with the bird activities we’ve been doing. This week we discussed why birds have various types of beaks.
Encyclopedia Britannica Book
At Christmas time I bought this set of 6 Encyclopedia Britannica books for Farm Kid1. They’re fun. The pages are colorful & the pen gives additional information when you touch various things on the pages.
Fill the Bill
This activity shows how different beaks are made to eat certain types of food. I combined ideas from the National Wildlife Federation & The Rogers’ Family Circus.
Here’s a link to good printout showing a variety of beaks.
Top Left: Our bird beaks
Top Right: Our bird food
They loved it. The boys spent a long time figuring out which type of beak was best for the which type of food.
They couldn’t resist rummaging through the kitchen looking for their own beaks. I was most impressed with Farm Kid2’s observation that the frying pan with holes in the bottom allowing the water to drain out, but keeping the good stuff in, was similar to the way a flamingo eats. Flamingo’s are filter feeders. They found the same thing was true with the kitchen brushes, commenting that it was similar to the way whales eat krill.
Bird Mask
Idea from Elizabeth Abernathy
The masks are made from index, construction & copy paper. I love that the boys took free reign to design their bird face. Farm Kid1 chose to add fake eyes to trick predators.
Syntu Poem
A syntu is a poem about a natural feature of the Earth. It is five lines & emphasizes the five senses.
Line 1: Name of a natural feature – 1 word
Line 2: Observation about the natural feature – referring to one of the five senses
Line 3: Thought, feeling or evaluation about the natural feature
Line 4: Another observation about the natural feature – refers to a second sense
Line 5: Synonym for the natural feature – 1 word
Farm Kid1’s Poem:
Beak
Hard as a rock
Dig little worm, dig!
Long & pointy like a knife
Bill
I came up with stinks like fish for the second sense, which I thought was awesome. Ha ha ha! Farm Kid1 didn’t love it as much as I did, though.
