This easy cardinal birds in winter watercolor is a cute project. Be sure you grab more ideas for winter fun on my page winter season unit study.
And the watercolor painting of the cardinal birds in winter and fun birch trees makes a fun display to bring a pop of color.
In addition, you can create it as an art piece on its own or use it as part of a unit on winter birds or winter in general.
I have some great resources that will help you get started on your unit study.
Too, we are using two different kinds of paint on this cardinal project which are watercolor and acrylic
Also, you’ll learn a new technique to create a unique look to the bark of the birch trees.
But first look at these cardinal bird resources.
Cardinal Bird Hands-on Ideas
- Do the Hands-On Nature Study: Bird Color Bar Graphing Activity.
- Work on this Colorful Winter Bird: Northern Cardinal Lapbook & Unit Study.
- Make a yarn wrapped cardinal art project.
- Try out my How to Make a Fun Paper Mache American Robin Bird Craft but make it a cardinal.
- While you learn about these colorful winter birds you can help feed them with this Winter Nature Craft: How to Make Easy DIY Bird Feeders.
- Cardinal Fun Fact Coloring Page.
- Track how many cardinals visit your yard each day for a week, how many are male? How many are female?
- YouTube, listen to the cardinals song with this video.
Next, add some fun books and resources about cardinals.
12 Northern Cardinal Bird Books and Resources For Children
Add a book or two to your unit study or to your learning day. Cardinals are fun to study anytime of the year.
Packed with information, the writing is clear and direct and accessible to bird watchers at every level.
With bird facts, an identification guide, and how-to instructions, this is a perfect children’s introduction to bird-watching.
The morning begins like any other. Albert reaches out the window to check the weather. But from the moment a twig lands in the palm of his hand, life is never the same
One of my go tos for nature study.
Explore the anatomy of a jellyfish, the inside of a volcano, monarch butterfly migration, how sunsets work, and much more.
Rothman’s whimsical illustrations are paired with interactive activities that encourage curiosity and inspire you to look more closely at the
Because children's thinking is more visualized, the intuitive demonstration of the model can better help children construct in the brain. This birds playset can help children get a more direct understanding of real birds world and stimulate their interest in exploring nature.
One autumn evening, Little Redbird settled down for one last sleep before flying south for winter. As he slept, a strong gust of wind shook him from his cozy nest . . .
. . . Little Redbird hurts his wing and misses his chance to fly south for the winter. As he searches for a new home amongst the trees, he begins to realize that not all trees are fit for the winter cold. As more and more trees refuse him shelter, too preoccupied with their preparations for the frost, Little Redbird fears the worst. That is, until he comes across a friendly bunch of evergreens.
In the spirit of Oscar Wilde's The Happy Prince, Why Evergreens Keep Their Leaves is a timeless story of kindness and why the fir, spruce, and juniper trees are evergreen all winter long.
The Sibley Field Guide to Birds is now transformed into 100 easy-to-reference cards housed in one handsome pull-drawer gift box. Divided into one stack of 50 common Western and Eastern North American birds, and one stack of 50 common birds found across North America, each card features precise illustrations and text concerning habitat, behavior, and voice description necessary for easy identification.
The vibrant red of the male Northern Cardinal is stunning any time of year—and nothing is more beautiful than the early spring duets of cardinals singing their hearts out. You love these beloved birds, and you want to see them visiting your backyard or garden. Professional naturalist and award-winning author Stan Tekiela teaches you all that you need to know about cardinals.
The vibrant red of the male Northern Cardinal is stunning any time of year. And nothing is more beautiful than the early spring duets of cardinals singing their hearts out.
Kids and adults of all ages love these birds, and are captivated by their sounds. They also make great baby toys, and sensory toys for kids any age.
Includes 3 Realistically designed bird toys that produce authentic bird calls from the Cornell lab of ornithology archives of bird recordings.
The Burgess Bird Book for Children (1919) is a classic nature book by Thornton Burgess, who introduces young listeners to the subject of bird life by means of a series of interviews within a story. Peter Rabbit and Jenny Wren interview Slaty the Junco, Redwing the Blackbird, Melody the Wood Thrush, Spooky the Screech Owl, and many other common birds to learn about their appearance, their eating, mating and nesting habits, and their songs and calls. The text remains popular as an exceptional combination of information and entertainment.
Whos that singing in the backyard? Its a cardinal! Find out where cardinals live, what they eat, and how to identify the birds and their eggs.
Furthermore, here are some cardinal facts.
Cardinal Facts
- Northern Cardinals are mostly non migratory and stay in their habitat year round.
- Their lifespan is about 3 years and the oldest recorded lived to be almost 16 years.
- Cardinals are usually the first to visit backyard feeders in the morning and the last to visit at night.
- Both male and female cardinals can sing unlike most other species of songbird. Male cardinals might sing up to 200 songs in just an hour.
- Male cardinals are the bright red ones you see, females are a dull brown with just a bit of red on tail and wingtips.
- Northern Cardinals are protected by the Migratory Bird Act, which means you can’t have one as a pet and it is illegal to kill them.
- They get their red feathers from carotenoids in their food.
In addition, look at some more winters unit study ideas.
More Winter Unit Study Resources
Look at these other winter unit study resources.
- Cute and Simple Snowman Story Stones Winter Art Activities
- Winter Craft Ideas How to Make Fun Pinecone Flowers
- How to Make an Adorable Toilet Roll Snowman for Winter Crafts
- Easy and Fun Pinecone Snowy Owl Winter Craft for Kindergarten
- Free Amazing Winter Unit Study and Winter Lapbook for Kids
- Easy Hands on Snowflake Winter Craft for Kids Who Don’t Have Snow
- Winter Nature Craft: How to Make Easy DIY Bird Feeders
- 3 Fun Cocoa Winter Hands on Science Activities
- How to Make an Easy Build a Snowman Kid’s Game (free printable cube)
Now, grab your art supplies and make this fun winter art project.
How to Make Cardinal Birds in Winter Watercolor
First, you will need:
- Watercolor paper
- Watercolors
- Paintbrushes
- Black acrylic paint
- An old credit card
Next, here are the direction.
Use a watered down black or gray with a small paintbrush to outline a few general tree shapes and branches.
On as many branches as you would like, paint a red tear drop shape for your cardinals and add a little wedge at the base for a tail.
Fill in the blank spaces between the trees with various shades of blue; you don’t have to make it solid, whitespace looks great in watercolors.
Put a little black paint on a paper plate and tap the edge of a credit card into it, wipe off a little bit of excess.
Start on one side of the tree outline and set the edge of the card and then drag the card across the tree stopping halfway across.
This will give your bark the look of a birch tree. You can do this as much as you like up and down the tree.
Allow the black paint to dry fully.
Once paint is dry go back and add a little bit of black to the center of the bird’s face, black feet, and a bit of yellow for a beak.
When everything is dry your cardinals are ready to be displayed in a frame or as is.
What do you think? Ready to try this for a fun homeschool art, science, and hands-on lesson?
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