Read these cool facts about blue jays while you create a beautiful Blue Jay craft to study the colorings and markings of this backyard bird. Also, look at my page Free Bird Unit Study and Lapbook And Fun Edible Bird Nests for more bird activities.
Blue jays are one of the most recognizable birds in North America, known for their bright blue feathers, loud calls, and curious personalities.
Creating a blue jay paper plate craft is a wonderful way to introduce children to bird study while encouraging creativity, observation skills, and awareness of nature.
This activity pairs especially well with birdwatching, journaling, and simple science lessons for homeschoolers. It can be as simple as observing them in your backyard or you can fill in with facts, graphing, reading, and other activities to create a full week of bird study for any age.
The blue jay (Cyanocitta cristata) is a member of the crow family, which helps explain its intelligence and complex behavior.
Blue jays are commonly found in forests, neighborhoods, and parks across eastern and central North America. Their striking blue coloring, white chest, and black markings make them easy to spot, even for beginner birdwatchers.
BOOKS ABOUT BLUE JAYS FOR KIDS
Next, add some of these books to your home library.
5 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, here are some fun facts about blue jays.
5 COOL FACTS ABOUT BLUE JAYS
- Blue jays are about 9–12 inches long, with a wing span of 13 to 17 inches.
- They have strong black bills designed for cracking nuts and seeds.
- Blue jays are omnivores and eat acorns, seeds, berries, insects, and even small frogs.
- Despite their flashy color, blue jays are not actually blue because of pigment. Instead, their feathers reflect light in a way that makes them appear blue, a phenomenon called structural coloration. Blue jays help forests grow by burying acorns, many of which are never retrieved and later sprout into oak trees.
- They are very vocal and use a wide range of calls to communicate danger or defend territory. They are known for mimicking hawks’ calls to scare away other birds.
Also, here are some fun bird watching activities.
BIRD WATCHING ACTIVITIES FOR KIDS
- Sit quietly near trees or a bird feeder and listen for loud “jay jay” calls.
- Free Bird Journal – Hands-on Nature (Coloring & Identification Pages)
- Hands-On Nature Study: Bird Color Bar Graphing Activity
- The Colorful Blue Jays Winter Food | Make Fun Seed Slime
- Create another bird-themed craft while you learn about the history of Lewis & Clark’s exploration by painting a beautiful Lewis Woodpecker in Beautiful Watercolor & Birds Lewis and Clark Discovered.
- Use binoculars or a homemade paper tube “bird scope.”
- Compare the real bird to the paper plate craft and note similarities.
- If you don’t see a blue jay right away, play recordings of blue jay calls so children can learn to recognize them by sound.
- Try this B is for Bird Craft | Free Preschool Bluebird Study.
- Compare blue jays to other birds in the corvid family, like crows and ravens.
- Write a short story from the perspective of a blue jay hiding acorns.
- Map showing where blue jays live in North America.
HOW TO ATTRACT BLUE JAYS
- Offer peanuts (unsalted and in the shell if possible)
- Provide fresh water in a shallow birdbath
- Leave trees and shrubs for shelter
- Avoid pesticides that harm the insects birds rely on for food
By pairing your blue jay paper plate craft with real-world observation and discussion, you’re creating a rich, memorable learning experience that blends art, science, and outdoor exploration.
Finally, make this adorable blue jay craft.
BEAUTIFUL BLUE JAY CRAFT
Crafting a paper plate blue jay is an easy way to teach your child about their distinctive markings. As children paint or color the plate blue, add paper wings, or glue on a crest, you can talk about the bird’s body parts and their purposes.
Encourage kids to notice details such as the pointed crest on the head or the dark necklace-like marking around the neck.
Your child can paint or color the plates, but I thought this was a great opportunity to try out a new medium on an old, tried and true canvas- the paper plate.
You will need:
- 2 Paper plates
- Chalk pastel
- Pencil
- Scissors
You will use 2 paper plates for this craft. Cut the first one in half to create the body of your blue jay.
On the second paper plate, draw a wing, tail, and head with the pencil. Remember to give the head the blue jay its identifying crest, or tuft of feathers. I also used the ruffled edge of the plate for the tail for more texture.
Cut each piece out.
Use a black chalk to draw the black markings on the jay’s face and beak.
Color in the blue areas of the head.
Then color in the tail and back of the body, smudge with your finger to fill it in, and give softer edges.
Add the black details on the body, wing, and tail.
From a scrap of plate, cut out little bird feet and color them black with chalk.
Tape or glue each piece into place.
