nature

On Friday we explored birds' nests with Janice and Kirsten.

The children learned important information through the puppet show at the beginning;

What materials do birds build with?

grass, mud, thistledown, sticks, pine needles, bark, natural fluff, string and thread, snake skin...

Where do they build?

trees and bushes, tall grasses, ledges, under bridges, and in the mud

Why?

to protect their eggs from predators and to keep their eggs warm, in one small space

Following the puppet show the scientists examined a nest at their table, noticing the materials used, the shape, and thinking about where the nest was built. Using paper and pencil they drew the nests at their table, ensuring to use labels and detail.

This experience connected to all of our non-fiction work; labels teach and provide more information, non-fiction writers ensure a lot of detail in their diagrams.

 

 

 

 

 

During our academic choice, small building became building nests. Using our collection of natural materials and small building materials, the children used our large wood cookies to construct elaborate nests. This was a favorite part of our morning and small building will continue to be a space to build nests, until the builders take us in a different direction, of course.

During the sharing of their nests, children explained how their nests were constructed to protect the tiny eggs (purple gems) inside. One child said she noticed that each nest had story, something we know about building and play. This seemed like a possible invitation to write a story, so our nests were saved in our window space!

 

In the afternoon we extended our learning by using black pens to represent a different nest and measuring tools to further examine each nest.

We talked about using measurement to record additional details. We have been learning about different kinds of measurement during our number corner this month and measuring birds' nests provided a meaningful measuring opportunity!

With support, we measured the height, length, and circumference of each nest, using rulers and measuring tape. The scientists recorded the data on their final scientific drawing of a nest.

All of their work can be found in their Nature Journals. Here is a small sampling from our afternoon experience;