birds

I have a B is for bird craft, a tutorial for a toilet paper roll bluebird and resources for an entire bird-themed preschool study. Also, I have more alphabet letter fun on my page How to Homeschool Preschool.

What a fun nature topic for littles!

Backyard birds are plentiful almost anywhere and you can even double up on the B’s and cover blue jays, blue-footed boobies, bald eagles, or bluebirds like we are today.

There are a lot of topics to choose from when doing a bird unit study.

Focus on birds in your area, nests, eggs, feathers, bird calls, or birds’ life cycles.

Whatever you want to concentrate on, hands-on fun activities are best with preschoolers and help them learn while having a blast.

Use these bird figures throughout your study with playdough, in sensory bins, create nests for them made from sticks gathered from the yard.

Place one in front of your child to inspire them to draw their version, and try to find each one in the books you read throughout the week.

More How to Homeschool Preschool Letter of the Week Activities

• Alphabet Letter A is for Apple Craft for Preschool | Fun Apple Study
• Letter O is for Owl Preschool Craft | Fun Great Horned Owl Study
• Alphabet Letter H Handprint Craft For Fun Preschool Horse Study
• How To Make An Alphabet Teeth Cleaning Activity | 5 Preschool Letter T Crafts
• Alphabet Letter R is for Rainbow Craft for Preschool | Fun Rain Mobile
• Alphabet Letter M is for Monkey Handprint Preschool Fun Monkey Study
• Alphabet Letter G is for Gorilla Fun Paper Plate Preschool Mask
• W Is For Winter Craft Easy Snowman Oobleck Activity
• Letter E Is For Eagle Easy Preschool Eagle Study
• Alphabet Letter N Is For Nest Handprint & Fun Nests Preschool Craft
• B is for Bird Craft | Free Preschool Bluebird Study
• X is for X Ray Craft | Unique Crayon Resist Skeleton

Language Arts Focus Day 1

I like to start a new letter unit by grabbing whatever letter tiles we have for that letter, letter magnets, and flashcards and putting them out for a child to investigate and study.

They can be used throughout the week for any language arts activity.

Letter/Sound Recognition- Place a white sheet of paper in the bottom of a shallow container. Then cover it with a thin layer of bird seed and provide your child with a few flashcards with letters and numbers.

Make them yourself, or just let them practice freely with this simple letter-writing tray.

Book- An Egg is Quiet has wonderful illustrations and simple language. It teaches about different eggs- from birds to sea turtles. This series also contains a Nest is Noisy.

Craft/Activity- Try this printable for Bird Letter Recognition. It’ so much fun for your child to feed crackers with letters on them as they say the sound to the bird.

Song/Fingerplay- Start off practicing the sound of the letter B. Learn what upper and lowercase look like, words that start with b, and even the sign for B. Letter B | Sing and Learn the Letters of the Alphabet.

Snack- The early bird gets the worm or so they say. So, start your b is for bird craft unit with a healthier version of dirt and worms that is delicious to eat.

Science Focus Day 2

Science can focus heavily on the life cycle or the different species, the parts of a bird, or feathers. Or whatever you want to talk about with your child.

Letter/Sound Recognition- Print this fun Letter B book for kids to flip through, color, or trace words and letters as they like and they can reference tit throughout the week.

Book- For a beautiful reference that covers a wide variety of birds from backyard birds to flightless birds, swans, nests, eggs and everything in between The Big Book of Birds is the one. 

It is an oversized book perfect for little hands with charming illustrations they will love.

Craft/Activity- Make a toilet roll bluebird. See below for instructions on making this bird, then when it is done use a reference book to help identify the different parts of a bird.

Song/Fingerplay-Learn all about different birds and some of their characteristics in the catchy Birds Song.

Snack-Wow what a fun idea this Robin Bread–aka PB and J Shaped Like a Bird big visual impact with little effort is my kind of treat!

Math Focus Day 3

Count feathers, and eggs in the refrigerator, count how many robins you see in the backyard today.  Simple preschool math is all around you and it is so easy to incorporate the bird theme.

Letter/Sound Recognition- I don’t always encourage technology but it also has its place even in preschool. This is one of my favorite products for teaching in preschool.

It comes with the entire alphabet in magnets in the base.

When the letter is placed in the base it tells the child the name of the letter as well as the sound that it makes.

I think this is a great independent practice activity and can be used throughout learning the entire alphabet.

Book- Incorporate another activity into math focus through reading Counting is For The Birds where your child gets to count backyard birds as they come to eat at the feeder.

Craft/Activity- Grab an inexpensive pack of colorful feathers, you can even find them at Dollar Tree and use them to sort by color. 

Arrange them from shortest to longest.

Or simply for counting and basic addition and subtraction.

Song/Finger Play- Here you will find the words and hand motions for the simple rhyme Little Robin Redbreast.

Snack- This quick video shows you how to make an Apple Bird Snack full of healthy fruits in a fun design your child will love.

History/Geography Focus Day 4

What better topic to focus on today for geography than learning about your own state’s bird?

 If you don’t already know, find out what your state bird is, and do a little research on it. If you want to expand on that look into other states around you or maybe the state where Grandma lives.

Grab a map and look for the states that you’re going to be researching, it’s never too early to introduce simple math skills.

Letter/Sound Recognition- Grab a brown paper lunch bag and right lower and uppercase B on it, go around the house and find as many objects as you can that start with the letter b and place them in the bag.

Have your child draw out the objects one by one and practice the beginning sound before the word like a bird.

Some ideas are a piece of paper in the color blue, a butterfly, birds, a ball, a bow, and letter b tiles. 

Book- Since we are learning about state birds today, I found this cute book- United Tweets of America.

Song/Fingerplay- Sing a Song of Sixpence

Sing a song of sixpence,
A pocketful of rye.
Four and twenty blackbirds
Baked in a pie.
When the pie was opened,
The birds began to sing.
Wasn’t that a dainty dish
To sit before the king?
The king was in his counting house,
Counting out his money.
The queen was in the parlor,
Eating bread and honey.
The maid was in the garden,
Hanging out the clothes,
When down came a blackbird
And pecked off her nose.
They sent for the king’s doctor,
Who sewed it on again?
He sewed it on so neatly,
The seam was never seen.

Snack- Owl Rice Cakes are relatively healthy and are a great way to talk about the parts of a bird as you build his wings, eyes, and beak.

B is For Bird Craft Preschool Theme

While you teach your preschooler about the letter sound of B, add some of these fun books and resources to your unit study.

Birds Figurines, 23pcs Realistic Eagle Parrot Robin Owl

Early Educational Toys - These Parrot Birds Figures Set Are Great For Education Purposes. It Will Help To Improve Children's Concentration And Outsight, Develop And Train Their Imagination And Creativity.

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An Egg Is Quiet:

This stunningly beautiful and wonderfully informative book from award-winning artist Sylvia Long and author Dianna Hutts Aston makes for a fascinating introduction to the vast and amazing world of eggs. Featuring poetic text and an elegant design, this acclaimed book teaches children countless interesting facts about eggs. Full of wit and charm, An Egg Is Quiet will at once spark the imagination and cultivate a love of science.

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The Big Book of Birds (The Big Book Series)

Following up the hugely successful The Big Book of Bugs, The Big Book of Beasts, and The Big Book of the Blue, The Big Book of Birds is a fact-filled tour of the world’s most wonderful winged creatures. Yuval Zommer’s distinctive illustrations show off some of the most colorful, flamboyant, impressive, and wacky birds of the sky. Picture-book charm pairs with informative nonfiction to make a beautiful, large-format title for parents to share with young children and for older children to read by themselves.

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LeapFrog Tad's Fridge Phonics Magnetic Letter Set Small

Choose a level and push the letter tiles into the letter slot to reinforce letter names, phonics and word skills . Magnetic back makes it great for fridge play in the kitchen

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Counting Is for the Birds

Count up to twenty colorful backyard birds as they gather to crack seeds at the feeder while a cunning cat lurks below! What will be the fate of these colorful birds? The surprise ending will delight readers of all ages.Frank Mazzola's striking digital paintings, coupled with his lighthearted verse and engaging facts, will make bird lovers out of young and old alike.

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United Tweets of America: 50 State Birds Their Stories, Their Glories

Welcome to the United Tweets Pageant! This colorful parade of state birds competing to be Top Tweet will have readers of all ages laughing aloud. From Alabama's Yellowhammer to Wyoming's Western Meadowlark, each bird is a winner, and each bird loves to show off the state it calls home. Hudson Talbott has created an inspired introduction to states and their birds. His vibrant, detailed illustrations infuse the birds' interactions with energy and humor, making this a great way to spark kids' interest in United States history, geography, and, of course, wildlife!

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A Bird Is a Bird

What is a bird? And how is it different from a mammal or a reptile?Some birds are huge and some are tiny. Some birds are fantastically colorful and some are plain. But what do all birds share? Early nonfiction expert Lizzy Rockwell explains that birds have beaks, wings, and feathers, and hatch from eggs. Other animals might have some of these features in common, but only a bird has them all. Only a bird is a bird! A clear text and beautiful illustrations cover dozens of different birds and their shared characteristics, as well as the unique qualities of unusual birds, such as penguins and peacocks.

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Language Arts Focus Day 5

Three basic foundations for language arts in preschool are:

• Letter recognition,
• Learning letter sounds, and
• Learning to form letters.

Choose fun hands-on activities to teach these to your child and use repetition as well. 

Book –Only A Bird is a Bird and this book teaches children all about what makes a bird as well as some of the differences with splashy colorful illustrations and language. It is perfect for early years without talking down to them.

Craft/Activity- Grab your letter tiles and spell out a few bird-related words like bird, egg, nest, and feather. Remove the beginning letter, set it near the words in a pile and read each of the words to your child without the beginning sound.

Help your child determine which letter makes the beginning sound for that word. It is not important that they can read the word itself.

This is simply helping them to make a connection and understand that letters put together to make words and reinforce the beginning letter sound with the actual image of the letter.

Song/Fingerplay- Two Little Blackbirds has cute hand motions that are fun and easy to learn, this will be a very popular chant for weeks to come.

Snack- These Crow-eos are too cute but are very easy to make for a quick and simple bird-themed snack.

Toilet Paper Roll Bluebird

You will need:

• Empty toilet paper roll
• Blue construction paper or craft foam
• Yellow construction paper or craft foam
• Rusty red craft paint
• Black pipe cleaner
• Google eyes
• Gluestick
• Scissors

First, cut your blue craft foam just under 4” tall by 5 ¾” around and glue it to the empty toilet paper roll.

At the same time cut a small tail and a pair of wings out of the same color.

To give a little texture to the feathers you can make little snips along the edge of each.

Then cut a small triangle of yellow for the beak.

 And to give your child a little more Independence you can either allow them to cut it out completely independently or trace the shape and let them practice using scissors by cutting it out themselves.

Now paint the belly of the bluebird with rusty red paint.

If you don’t want to use paint you could also just have them glue red paper to the bird.

Mixed media projects are a great way to introduce your preschooler to new art mediums.

Twist two little bird feet out of black pipe cleaners and hot glue them inside the toilet paper roll so they just peek out.

Once the glue on the belly has dried your child can begin assembling the bluebird by attaching the wings, beak, and google eyes.

For a more secure hold, you can use hot glue but if you want to let your child do it they can use regular school glue and pin them into place with either tape or clothes pins until the glue dries.

You can either stop here if you’re happy with your bluebird or place a scrap piece of the blue on top and around the circle shape to finish off his head, secure in place with glue