We’re making a fun stretchy batch of seed slime as we learn all about the colorful blue jay and his winter food. Also, look at my Free Bird Unit Study and Lapbook And Fun Edible Bird Nests.
But we won’t just make seed slime, we are going to provide our preschool- elementary learners with an entire themed but still open-ended tray to explore.
This slime is wonderfully stretchy, not too sticky and is a great base for adding seeds and more.
If you live in most of eastern and central North America to the Northwest, chances are you see these colorful birds plentifully in your backyard.
They are a very loud bunch, making a loud jeering sound but you will also hear clear whistled notes and gurgling sounds.
Throughout the warm spring and summer months blue jays live and feed their young on a diet of mostly insects but in the cold of winter, they forage for seeds, nuts, fruit, berries, and grain to give them their much-needed energy.
We are using some of the seeds to create our slime and the rest can be put out to help feed backyard birds throughout the winter.
I have some tips for setting up a welcoming yard for Jays and other birds.
You will also find some fun facts and more hands-on ideas to build a lovely winter unit for the Blue Jay.
Books and Activities About Blue Jays
I lean toward living books for independent reading and to read aloud, then I look for reference books.
Books & Resources For Kids Who Love to Learn About Blue Jays
Blue Jays are a fun bird to learn about anytime of the year and turn it into a full unit study with toms of these resources.
Sammy Jay thinks he's a very fine gentleman and is proud of his handsome blue coat and high cap. But Sammy often does things he shouldn't do — like stealing. Nobody likes to be told he's a thief — especially Sammy Jay! Much of the time, he just struts around, trying to look important when he thinks someone is looking at him. Filled with pranks and rivalries, this delightful tale — enhanced with Harrison Cady's charming illustrations — combines humorous animal escapades with gentle lessons about wildlife and nature.
Some of the feathered folk in Pleasant Valley said that old Mr. Crow was the noisiest person in the neighborhood. But they must have forgotten all about Mr. Crow's knavish cousin, Jasper Jay. And it was not only in summer, either, that Jasper's shrieks and laughter woke the echoes. Since it was his habit to spend his winters right there in Farmer Green's young pines, near the foot of Blue Mountain, on many a cold morning Jasper's ear-splitting "Jay! jay!" rang out on the frosty air.
When Jemima, a young orphaned blue jay, is brought to wildlife rehabilitator Julie Zickefoose, she is a virtually tailless, palm-sized bundle of gray-blue fluff. But she is starved and very sick. Julie’s constant care brings her around, and as Jemima is raised for eventual release, she takes over the house and the rest of the author's summer. Shortly after release, Jemima turns up with a deadly disease. But medicating a free-flying wild bird is a challenge. When the PBS show Nature expresses interest in filming Jemima, Julie must train her to behave on camera, as the bird gets ever wilder. Jemima bonds with a wild jay, stretching her ties with the family. Throughout, Julie grapples with the fallout of Jemima’s illness, studies molt and migration, and does her best to keep Jemima strong and wild. She falls hard for this engaging, feisty and funny bird, a creative muse and source of strength through the author’s own heartbreaking changes. Emotional and honest, Saving Jemima is a universal story of the communion between a wild creature and the human chosen to raise it.
THE HARDEST CHALLENGE - With hints on the back that won't take away from the fun of the game by making it too difficult, the Fruit And Birds series will provide hours of screen-free entertainment and mental relaxation for the whole family, and is sure to become a permanent decoration in your home.
With one squeeze, Audubon birds produce beautifully authentic bird calls provided by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s bird recording archives.
Next, look at some facts about blue jays.
5 Fun Facts about the Colorful Blue Jay
- Blue Jays are large songbirds with blue, black, and white feathers.
- The pigment that is in Blue Jay feathers is melanin and brown. The blue color is caused by light scattering through the cells on the surface of the feather barbs.
- Blue jays are omnivores, which means they consume plants, animals, nuts, and seeds. They eat corn, seeds, fruits, insects, frogs, mice, and sometimes eggs and nestlings of other birds.
- The Blue Jay frequently mimics the calls of hawks and does this sometimes when approaching a feeder to scare the other birds away.
- Unlike some other species of bird both the male and female Blue Jay look identical so you cannot identify the sex by color. Males are just slightly larger than females.
Also, look how to attract blue jays to your yard.
How to Attract Blue Jays and Other Birds To Your Backyard
Blue Jays mostly do well foraging on their own. If you want to enjoy these beauties and other birds in your backyard here is what you can do to bring them in and keep them happy, so they return again and again.
Provide shade and shelter- If you already have bushes and trees, you have a natural attractant for birds. Birds need trees for shade, to rest in, for protection, and to build their nests. Trees can also be a great source of food for birds, providing insects, fruits, nuts, and berries.
Provide food- Add a bird feeder or a few to your yard to provide a variety of seeds. The more variety the more bird species you will attract. Blue Jays in particular prefer open-platform feeders. Suet blocks are a great option in the winter as well for seeds as they offer healthy easy-to-digest fat that hungry birds need for energy.
Provide clean water- Add a bird bath to your yard, in the shade where they are protected, and watch how many feathered friends show up to drink and bathe. Be sure to keep the water clean by adding fresh daily and scrubbing out the bowl often to prevent them from getting sick from bacteria.
The more you can offer to birds that they need the more frequently they will return and give you a colorful show.
Additionally, here are more slime seed ideas.
More Slime and Seed Slime Ideas
More Backyard Birds Activities
- Beautiful Winter Bird: Northern Cardinal Lapbook & Fun Unit Study
- How to Make DIY Hummingbird Nectar And Favorite Amazon Rainforest Hummingbirds Facts
- How to Make a Chalk Pastel Bird Nest Easy Drawing
- Galapagos Islands Animals Fun and Simple Watercolor Flamingo Tutorial
- Free Homeschool Chicken Unit Study and Anatomy of an Egg Felt Activity & Worksheet
- Free Bird Journal – Hands-on Nature (Coloring & Identification Pages)
- Free North American Robin Bird Lapbook and Fun Homeschool Unit Study Ideas
- How to Make an Easy Jumbo Stick Bird Feeder with Kids
Finally, look how to make fun seed slime.
Fun Seed Slime
You will need:
- Bird seed
- 1 cup white or clear school glue
- 1 Tablespoon baking soda
- 2-3 Tablespoons contact lens solution
- Tray for set up
- Bird figurines
- Brown pipe cleaners
First, in a large bowl combine white or clear glue and baking soda, and mix well before moving on to the next step.
Slowly add in the contact lens solution ½ a teaspoon at a time, stirring to mix well between every addition.
As you mix it will become less sticky, if you add too much too fast once mixed it will be too hard and lose its stretch.
You will know it is ready when it pulls away from the sides of the bowl and does not stick to your hands.
Mix in your seeds, as much or as little as you like.
I wound up using about ¾ of a cup.
Now, to create a fun invitation to play with your slime.
You can use a divided round tray from Dollar Tree or just grab whatever tray and bowls you have on hand.
Place the slime in a larger bowl and fill smaller bowls with additional seeds so they can mix them in themself, bird figurines, and small pieces of brown pipe cleaner.
Look at this fantastic stretch!
Little pieces of pipe cleaners can be poked into the slime to create little nests for the birds.
