Today’s STEAM Activity is making birds nests! We were inspired to do this activity while watching a dove build her nest in our backyard. We saw her searching for and collecting leaves and twigs and carrying them to her nest. It was so fascinating to watch. A few days later we collected similar materials to what we saw her collect and tried to make our own nests.
It was interesting to learn how much skill goes into making the nests. Our nests were not strong and fell apart easily. Birds take great care weaving their nests to make them strong and stable.
MATERIALS:
- Twigs, leaves, long grasses, etc…
PROCEDURE:
- Collect twigs, leaves, and long grasses and stems for your yard or parks.
- I recommend taking a nature walk while collecting. We walked around our local park area looking for leaves, twigs, long grasses, and feathers. My kids brought their binoculars so they could look in the trees for birds nests and study how they are made.
- Set out the materials in a clear outdoor space and ask your kids to build a nest. I purposely didn’t tell my kids how to build the nest. I wanted to see what they came up with on their own – they got the shape and size right, but it was not a strong and stable structure.
STEAM CONCEPTS LEARNED:
- Science: This is a great way to learn about birds nests and how birds build them. They are more complex than they seem and built with a great deal of care and skill. Birds take time to pick the right location, then collect their materials and carefully weave their nests.
My kids and I enjoyed this fun activity, especially because we spent the day outside in nature. It was a nice change from most of our indoor activities and we all learned how difficult it is to build a bird’s nest!
Have you found any birds nests in your yard they year? This is our first nest in the 3 years we have loved in our current house!
