Birds
      Page 3
      In The Kitchen

      Bird's Nest Salads

      Cut carrots in half and let the children help grate them (if old enough). For each serving, mix together 1/2 of a grated carrot and 1/4 cup chow mein noodles. Stir in mayonnaise to moisten. Place a scoop of the mixture on lettuce leaves on each plate, and push the back of a spoon into the middle to form a nest. Let the children place grapes or peas in nests.

      ~Submitted by Cheryl's Sweethearts ChildCare

      Bird's Nests

      Ingredients Needed: pretzel sticks, chocolate chips, jelly beans----waxed paper

      Give each child a piece of waxed paper and a few pretzel sticks. Have them arrange their sticks into a nest. In the meantime, melt choclate chips. Drizzle melted choclate over pretzel stick nests. When chocolate cools, place jelly beans on nests.

      ~Submitted by Cheryl's Sweethearts ChildCare

      Fruity Nest to Nibble

      You'll need: mixing bowl, 2 lg shredded wheat biscuits, measuring cups + spoons 1/4 cup coconut, 1 Tlbs. brown sugar, 1/4 cup margarine or butter (melted), Muffin tin, Foil ,fruit or jelly beans

      1) To make the nests, in a mixing bowl crumble shredded wheat biscuits with your fingers. Use a spoon to stir in coconut and sugar. With adult help, pour in the melted margarine. Stir everything together.
      2) Line each of the 6 muffin cups with a piece of foil. Press the shredded wheat mixture onto the bottoms and up the sides of tge foil-line cups. With adult help, bake in 350 oven about 10 minutes or till crips. Cool the nests in the cups.
      3) Remove the nests from cups by lifting up on the foil. Carefully peel the foil off nests. Fill the nest with fruity bird eggs. If desired, top the fruit with a spoonful of yogurt.

      ~Submitted by Cheryl's Sweethearts ChildCare

      Shredded Wheat Nests

      Materials: Large shredded wheat biscuits, glue or maybe marshmallow glue and candy eggs

      Activity: For each child crumble one large shredded wheat biscuit into a bowl. Add melted marshmallow. Help the child pile the mixture on top of a plastic lid. Let child shape into a nest and add the eggs (jelly beans or malted eggs).

      ~Submitted by Cheryl's Sweethearts ChildCare

      Birdseed Biscuits

      These can be shared with the kids, too!

      2 cups biscuit baking mix
      1/2 cup cold water
      2 tbsp margarine
      2 tbsp sesame seeds
      2 tbsp sunflower seeds

      Preheat oven to 425F. Form a soft dough with baking mix and water. Roll out the dough to 3/4" thickness and cut it into shapes with cookie cutters. Using a straw, punch a hole in the top of each cookie. Melt the margarine and brush over dough. Sprinkle the seeds and nuts onto the dough and press it in FIRMLY with a fork. Bake for 15-20 min., or until light brown. When cool, thread brightly coloured ribbon through the hole and hang in a tree.

      ~Submitted by Cheryl's Sweethearts ChildCare

      Bird's Nest Snack/Craft

      Melt 1/2 cup of butter in a saucepan. Add 1 cup of brown sugar. Boil and stir for one minute. Add a 3 oz. can of chow mein noodles. Put the mixture in 12 paper baking cups in a muffin tin. Use your thumb to press noodles into the nest while still warm. DO NOT BAKE. Give children jelly bean eggs to put in their nests.

      ~Submitted by Cheryl's Sweethearts ChildCare
      Theme Ideas

      Concepts

      - Birds live everywhere- city, country, meadow, mountain, marsh, forest, plain, desert, and seashore.
      - All birds lay eggs from which their young hatch.
      - All birds have feathers.
      - Birds differ in size, shape, color, weight, berak or bill, feet, kinds of nests and eggs, communication, flight patterns and diet.

      Book for concepts: What is a Bird? by Ron Hirschi
      About Birds: A Guide for Children by Cathryn Sill

      ~Submitted by Cheryl's Sweethearts ChildCare

      Birds and Beaks

      The objective of the lesson is to determine which bird beaks are best suited to eat different kinds of food. The children use tweezers, toothpicks, clothes pegs and spoons to simulate bird beaks and various materials like yarn, rubber bands, styrofoam pieces, marbles, etc to simulate food. Each child is given a cup of mixed foods and a beak. Then give the children 1 minute to "eat" as much food as they can. Then compare the types of foods obtained by the various types of beaks (birds of prey, song birds, waterfowl and sea birds). Show pictures of the different bird groups before beginning the lesson. It's a great hands on experience & the children love it!

      ~Submitted by Cheryl

      Bird Walk

      Take the children on a bird walk. Discuss the different colors of the birds you see. Tell the children the names of the birds.

      File Folder Game

      Cut 10 egg shapes from white construction paper. Decorate eggs then cut them into halves varying the cut pattern (zig zag, wavy, straight, etc.). Glue one half of a set into a folder. Have the children match the halves.

      ~Submitted by Cheryl's Sweethearts ChildCare

      Bluebird Bluebird

      Children join hands and stand in circle. Construct one bluebird necklace out of construction paper. One child is first bluebird and weaves in and out of children's arms while chanting (3 times) Bluebird, bluebird through my window. Who will be the next bluebird? That child then chooose someone who has not had a turn to be the next bird and that child wears neckalce. Play until everyone has a turn.

      ~Submitted by Cheryl's Sweethearts ChildCare

      Bird Food

      Materials: Big pipe cleaners and cheerios.

      Hook one end of pipecleaner and have children add cheerios until 1 inch from top. Bend pipe cleaner over cheerios so they will stay on. Make the pipe cleaner with cheerios look like a J. Hook over tree limb for birds to enjoy.

      ~Submitted by Cheryl's Sweethearts ChildCare

      Games

      Make a bird lotto game from pictures. Reproduce pictures of birds twice. Make a number of boards with the pictures of birds on it from white tag board. The other duplicates cut into squares. BUT... have a number of different cards of birds. If a child matches the square with the one on the board he puts it down, if not it is the other person's turn.

      ~Submitted by Cheryl's Sweethearts ChildCare

      Movement

      I'm a bow-legged chicken
      I'm a knock-kneed hen
      Never been so happy
      Since I don't know when
      I walk with a wiggle
      And a giggle
      And a squawk
      Doin' the Tennessee Wiggle Walk

      ~Submitted by Cheryl's Sweethearts ChildCare

      Bird's Nests

      Spring is here and birds are busy looking for materials to build their nests. Your children are sure to have fun helping them. All you need are plastic mesh bag (like the kind onions are sold in) and some yarn. Stuff the bag with any combination of the following: small peices of yarn(no longer than 4 inches), fabric snips, tiny strips of construction paper, dryer lint, old shoelaces, pine neddles, dried grass, small twigs, thistle or milkweed down. Use the yarn to tie the bag shut and hang it from a tree or fence. Watch from the window to see what kinds of birds chose things from the bag. On your next walk, keep an eye out for bird nests made with your materials.

      ~Submitted by Cheryl's Sweethearts ChildCare
      Links!

      Birding/Wild Birds - About.com
      Return to Page 1 or Page 2 of Bird Theme
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