So I decided that the first craft of the month will be making bird nests. I took some time on this one to look about on the Internet for ideas and saw some really awesome ones-- but almost all of them involved serious dry-time, something that is just not practical in our school setting. So, I went pretty low-tech:
It's simple, but I think it is a cute and fun little spring craft. The prep for this one wasn't too bad either. I already had a pile of paper plate centers left from a craft earlier this month (I'm so glad I found a use for them!). But I (and my husband) ended up spending a good amount of time cutting out the bird and egg shapes (though we left some uncut so that the older kids can use them to practice their scissor skills). I also shredded a lot of paper, but that went pretty quickly.
And, of course, I found a few bird nest facts to go along with the craft:
- Birds build nests for breeding in trees, on cliffs, and even on the ground.
- There are many different types of nests, from simple holes in the ground to complex multi-chambered nests.
- Nests are often made from a large variety of natural materials including sticks, twigs, mud, grass, and saliva. But some birds will use almost anything that works and that they can carry, like candy wrappers, home insulation, shredded money, and even barbed wire!
- Some birds lay their eggs in other bird’s nests.
- The nest of a bald eagle can be 12 feet deep, 10 feet wide and weigh over a ton.
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/birds/
http://www.cockatielcottage.net/trivia.html
http://www.earthlife.net/birds/nests.html
http://people.eku.edu/ritchisong/birdnests.html
Phew! With all that done, now maybe I can do some of my own crafting again. :)
I thought preschool was to give the Mom's a break!
ReplyDeleteI should do this one with wingnut.
ReplyDeleteBarbed wire! Those babies don't have much of a chance.
ReplyDeleteLooks like a fun project.