Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Winter Wednesday and Science Sunday: Winter Birds and Finding Color

Cardinal
Black-capped Chickadee
Winter Wednesday was SUCH a hit last week! J worked on his 3 remaining Cornell notebooking pages while C printed out some additional pages to color using our Birds of Maine Field Guide and started her "My Running List of Birds". Even S enjoyed watching the birds and squirrels in the feeders despite feeling "under the weather". And a couple of afternoons (in the CHILLY temperatures), C and S sat perfectly still in Resin chairs near the feeders to watch and hear the birds as they darted in and out of the evergreens and deciduous trees. You know an activity is a hit when the kids continue to investigate and learn all on their own! Isn't that AWESOME?!
Cardinal in Flight

Now, the Black-capped Chickadees aren't very anxious about us being around so I was able to stand close to the feeders and get some GREAT photos. The Cardinal and Blue Jays were a bit more skittish. My camera doesn't have a zoom and cropping makes the photos grainy, but I got some interesting shots.
Blue Jay Ground Feeding
                                                                  
Our studies this Wednesday included reading and discussing some information in Discover Nature in Winter: Things to Know and Things to Do (Elizabeth P. Lawlor) about why some birds migrate and others don't and how those that stay cope with the colder temperatures. The kids continued to work on their Cornell coloring pages and My Running List of Birds, but our big hands-on project was painting small birdhouses to hang in the evergreens. (Talk about color! LOL) We "stuffed" these bird houses with dryer lint in the hopes of providing a warm, comfortable home for Chickadees (or other small birds). 
Kids Painting Bird Houses

Completed Bird Houses
With the snow coming down steadily and a foot or more already on the ground, the kids decided to forego a winter color hunt through the backyard woods and just enjoy romping in the new "white stuff". Brrr!

Check out other nature and science studies by clicking on the Winter Wednesday, Outdoor Hour and Science Sunday buttons on my sidebar! 






























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8 comments:

  1. Kym January 13, 2011 at 8:48 AM

    Doesn't it feel so good when the kids continue learning on their own? I love when that happens. 8-) You got some really clear pictures of the birds!

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  2. UnknownJanuary 13, 2011 at 9:54 AM

    It's AWESOME, Kym! Not only have they been spending time learning about our birds and squirrels on their own, but J has grabbed a notebook and 8-10 gardening books from the library and has been spending an hour or so each night planning for our garden in the spring!

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  3. BarbJanuary 14, 2011 at 9:17 AM

    This was a great study! I love how your family is all participating and enjoying your winter study and birds.

    There is a link to the online version of the HNS on my sidebar under the image of the cover of the book:
    http://www.archive.org/details/handbookofnature002506mbp

    Just be aware that the page numbers will not correspond exactly with the challenges since they are different editions of the same book. You can use the table of contents or the index if you get confused.

    Thanks so much for sharing your link with the OHC.

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  4. UnknownJanuary 14, 2011 at 11:58 AM

    Thanks a bunch, Barb! We're REALLY enjoying the Outdoor Hour and Winter Wednesday natures studies!

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  5. PhyllisJanuary 14, 2011 at 12:22 PM

    I love your bird photos. I find them so hard to get! It really looks like your kids are into this. It is wonderful!

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  6. UnknownJanuary 14, 2011 at 1:21 PM

    Thanks, Phyllis! Except for the Chickadees, the other photos WERE hard to get. I need a zoom! LOL

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  7. An Almost Unschooling MomJanuary 16, 2011 at 11:40 AM

    That is the best, when kids keep a study going on their own! Love the birdhouses, too - the birds will have no problem spotting them against the white snow :)

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  8. TiciaJanuary 29, 2011 at 6:13 PM

    Those are wonderful bird pictures. Making a birdhouse is on my list of things to do while we're studying birds.

    Thanks for joining Science Sunday!

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