You’ll love this free bird unit study and dynamic bird lapbook. Be sure to grab my other lapbook ideas and Best Homeschool Unit Studies on my page.
And a great way to begin this unit study is to make a delicious and fun edible bird nest.
This one is a great addition to this bird unit study.
It’s easy, adorable and tasty.
Make these edible bird nests together with your budding ornithologist as part of a bigger study.
This unit study comes just in time for National Bird Day on January 5th.
First, begin with some of these topics to cover in the bird study.
- Common Species
- Feathers
- Beaks and their uses
- Migration
- Nests
- Eggs
- Calls
In addition, here are two more facts:
- All birds have feathers, but not all birds can fly. For example, penguins do not fly.
- And all birds lay eggs, breathe air, and are warm blooded.
Bird Watching Questions
Next, when we learn about birds, I find a list of questions helps to identify what type of bird we’re looking at.
These same questions can be used in your nature walk or just looking in your backyard.
- What is the bird doing? (Answer: Flying, perching, hopping, in water, climbing,etc.)
- What shape is the bird? (Answer: Look at bird head size to body proportion. And beak size to bird head. Notice the bird’s overall body size.)
- How big is it?
- Explain what are field markings. For instance, stripes, colors, patches and patterns are field markings. So then ask what field markings do you see?
- Are the wings round or pointed?
- And what shape is the bill?
- How is the bird behaving? (Answer: What is the feeding style, how is it moving and is it with a flock or alone,)
I would highly recommend a field guide and binoculars to do research in real life
More Hands-on Bird Activities
Free Bird Teacher’s Guides and Lesson Plans
In addition, here are some fun and free educator guides and lesson plans about birds.
- A Teacher’s Guide To Hawaiian Birds This has a nice glossary for vocabulary words and pictures too.
- Lesson Plan for the lower grades.
- Lesson Plans for middle school.
- High School Ideas. Citizen Science has some ideas for projects like tracking sightings, nest watch,
- What’s in a Bird Song
- Free Bird Coloring Pages
- Another lesson plan for early learning.
- Students examine historical examples of art with birds as the subject. High School
- Name That Bird Middle to High School
Moreover, research about different types of bird nests.
5 Common Types of Bird Nests
Also, when your child knows how to observe the types of nests, then it helps to match them with type of bird.
Besides many animals build nests and birds are some of the most expert builders.
Most birds’ nests fall into 5 main types of nests.
- cupped (or half-cupped). Used by songbirds and are round with a dip in the center. And swallows use half-cupped nests which adhere to a surface.
- cavity. Woodpeckers used cavities in a tree.
- Pendulum or Pendant. Baltimore Orioles use suspending type sac-like nests.
- Scrape. Used by ground-nesting birds in open habitats. Killdeer make scrape nests.
- Burrow. Burrowing Owls make burrow nests.
Cupped nest. A cup nest is cup-shaped and can be made with a variety of materials such as grass, moss,
lichen, or spiderweb
Cavity nest: A cavity nest is a hollowed-out opening in the trunk of a tree.
Pendulum or pendant nest: A hanging sac-like shape, usually suspended from a small tree branch.
Scrape – A type of nest without much material and are shallow ground impressions.
Burrow – This is either a hole burrowed or borrowed from another animal.
Lastly, think about the type of materials a bird collects to build a list. Have your child collect some of them to build his special nest.
- dried grass
- twigs
- green grass
- feathers
- hair
- mud or dirt
- leaves
- bark
- pine needles
- straw
- shredded plant stems
- animal hair
- moss
- old spiderwebs
Check out some of these resources to help you cover every aspect of birds you might want to learn about.
Bird Books, Activities, and Resources
Then, add in some of these fun books and resources.
17 Books, Resources, and Activities About Birds
You'll love these fun resources if you're studying about birds. Besides, you can study about birds anytime of the year.
So, add one or two of these to your unit study, nature journaling, or just fun for the day.
In simple yet compelling language, Melissa Stewart showcases twelve North American birds, from the familiar eastern bluebird to the rare Kirtland's warbler. Her clear narrative shows the threats these birds face, and informative sidebars describe a wide variety of efforts to save them. In addition, remarkable full-color illustrations vividly and accurately depict the birds within the ecosystems that support their survival. Range maps and additional bird facts are also included.
Young naturalists explore sixteen birds in this elegant introduction to the many, remarkable uses of feathers. A concise main text highlights how feathers are not just for flying. More curious readers are invited to dig deeper with informative sidebars that underscore how feathers of all shapes and sizes help birds with warming or cooling, protect them from the sun, help them swim, glide or even
dig.
This gorgeous and informative look at the fascinating world of nests, from those of tiny bee hummingbirds to those of orangutans high in the rainforest canopy.
The book draws in children and parents alike with captivating information about and charming illustrations of hummingbirds, peacocks, flamingos, bald eagles, secretary birds, puffins, red-crowned cranes, and more. The book also invites young bird-watchers to protect birds where they live and make their gardens bird-friendly. The text is chatty, funny, and full of remarkable facts.
For decades, the Peterson Field Guide to Birdsof Eastern and Central North America has been a popular and trusted guide for birders of all levels, thanks to its famous system of identification and unparalleled illustrations. Following the Spring 2020 update to Peterson Field Guide to Birds of North America, this guide will feature updated text and range maps, and art updated to reflect current knowledge in ornithology.
How to Feed Backyard Birds: A Step-by-Step Guide for Kids is the perfect resource for beginners who are young (and not so young) to discover the joy of attracting birds to your yard. Bird lover and expert Chris Earley wants to share his passion for our colorful singing and flying neighbors with the whole family.
Competitive, card-driven, engine-building board game.
Challenging strategy game recommended for those ages 14 plus
Game includes 170 unique bird cards, 26 bonus cards and 16 Automa cards, 103 food tokens and 75 egg miniatures, 5 custom wooden dice and 5 player mats, 1 birdfeeder dice tower and 2-piece Game Trayz custom tray, 1 goal mat and 8 goal tiles, 1 first-player token and 40 action cubes, 4 clear plastic resource containers, 1 scorepad, and 3 rulebooks.
Young naturalists explore a variety of birds, their habitats, and how their beaks help them build, eat, and survive. From the twisted beak of a crossbill to the color changing bill of a seagull, readers will learn fun facts about how beaks are designed and used as tools by birds of all shapes and sizes. Bright, bold cut-paper illustrations create amazingly realistic tableaus of birds in their natural
environments with their beaks in action.
Set of bird figurine toys, which contains 7 different small plastic birds. The weight of bird figure toy is 96G / 0.2LB. The set of small plastic bird contains 7 pecies of toy birds,such as robin, bluebird, oriole, woodpecker, etc. Please refer to the picture for the actual size and color.
PLAY & LEARN: Professor Noggin’s series of educational card games encourages kids to learn interesting facts about their favorite subjects.
FUN FACTS: Everything young birders need to know about the most common and interesting Birds of North America. Learn to identify different species and discover fascinating facts about their habitat and behavior.
CARD GAME: Each of the thirty game cards combines trivia, true or false, and multiple-choice questions. A special three-numbered die is included which adds an element of unpredictability.
Including the red-winged blackbird, painted bunting, wood duck, great blue heron, ruby-throated hummingbird, purple finch, and blue jay, 46 different species of birds from all parts of the United States are included in this book. The pictures have been faithfully redrawn by Paul E. Kennedy from originals by John James Aububon (1785–1851), the most famous American painter-naturalist.
If there was one thing James loved to do more than anything else, it was to be in the great outdoors watching his beloved feathered friends.In the fall of 1804, he was determined to find out if the birds nesting near his Pennsylvania home would really return the following spring. Through careful observation, James laid the foundation for all that we know about migration patterns today.
Enjoy your home and garden as never before when you have a yard that's filled with colorful birds and bird songs as well as flowers. This A-to-Z guide includes:Terrific tips and plans for building bird feeders, birdbaths, and birdhouses.Recipes for making bird food that is sure to be a hit with your feathered friends--including Chickadee Doughnut Delights and Easy Bird Treat Mini-Muffins.The 25 best plants to grow to attract birds to your yard--including columbine and honeysuckle, hummingbird favorites.How to identify and attract goldfinches, chickadees, cardinals, and more than 50 other favorite birds to your yard. Plus, you'll learn what their songs and antics really mean.
Describes all species found in the North American region and offers information on breeding cycles, nesting habits, and provides pictures of nestlings and eggs
This study guide accompanies What's That Bird? published by Storey Publishing in 2005, incorporating facts to know, comprehension questions, and characteristics of specific birds. Sections include: 'Meet the Bird', 'How Birds Live', and 'The Wider World of Birds'. Student Book and What's That Bird? sold separately.
Nature's Masterpieces—ready for paintingPeel the sticker,Paint the sticker, And watch your painting come to life.Paint by Sticker: Birds celebrates the rainbow of colors and shapes of the avian world: a red-headed woodpecker, a blue jay, an orange and black Baltimore oriole, an electric bright hummingbird.
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. Edited with the backyard birder in mind, each bird card is accompanied with a regional map as an additional guide to migratory patterns.
Delightful Birds Lapbook
Also, you’ll love this fun delightful birds lapbooks.
It’s geared toward upper elementary to middle school-ish but of course grades are selective.
Awesome Features of the Bird Lapbook
- You get this SAME lapbook TWO different ones. One lapbook has a facts filled in each minibook and the other lapbook has minibooks with all blank inside pages.
- Because I use a combination of cursive and print fonts, I aim my lapbooks toward upper elementary up to high school.
- This lapbook is aimed at upper elementary to middle school-ish.
- However, because one lapbook is BLANK you can use it for any age.
- This is a .pdf instant downloadable product and not a physical product.
- You are paying for the printables, the lapbook.
- You can use any reference materials, books, or online resources to complete the lapbook.
- I don’t provide links in the lapbooks for filling in the information. This keeps my prices low for my products, but I do provide free links and unit studies on my site as I can.
- My printables are very flexible. You decide which topics you want your children to research. Also, you can mix and match filled in and blank minibooks of your choice.
Additionally, here are more bird unit study activities.
Bird Unit Study Resources
- Free Bird Journal
- Cardinal Birds in Winter and Birch Trees Easy Watercolor Kids Activity
- How to Make a Fun Paper Mache American Robin Bird Craft
- Why Bats Are Not Birds Fun Homeschool Unit Study and Lapbook
- How to Make a Kid’s Fun and Easy Bird Nest Activity
- How to Make an Easy Jumbo Stick Bird Feeder with Kids
- Hands-On Nature Study: Bird Color Bar Graphing Activity
- Hands-On Nature Study: Make a Fun Bird Nesting Bag
- Colorful Winter Bird: Northern Cardinal Lapbook & Unit Study
- Easy and Fun Nature Study: Beautiful Birds
- How to Make Easy DIY Bird Feeders
Too, let’s make a fun hands-on edible nest to go with this unit study.
How to Make Edible Bird Nests
You will need:
- 2 cups pretzel sticks
- ¼ cup butterscotch chips
- ¼ cup chocolate chips
- mm’s
Directions:
Lay out a piece of waxed paper on the counter.
Place both kinds of chips in the microwave in a heat safe bow and heat in 20 second increments until completely melted.
Stir well to combine.
Pour pretzels into a bowl of melted chocolate and stir gently until all pretzels are completely coated.
Encourage your child to build a bird’s nest by creating a base of a few flat pretzels and then stacking to build up the sides into a cup shaped bird’s nest.
We found this recipe made about 4 good sized nests.
Add a few m & ms as eggs to the nest.
Let the nests sit until the chocolate has hardened, about an hour or so if your kitchen is not warm.
You can also harden it quicker by placing them in the fridge for a bit.
Once your nest has solidified you can enjoy eating it!