FREE Bird Unit Study
For Multiple Ages
This Bird Study Unit was new for me. In years past, I have studied and taught the basics of bird characteristics and general information pertaining to birds, but never have I delved into the identification of backyard birds. The Bird Unit Study features all things birds including: basic characteristics, common backyard birds, shape of beaks, feathers, and so much more! There is something for every age student. Bird books, emergent readers, graphic organizers, videos, and more will help you to create your own family Bird Unit Study!
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Read A Loud Choice... Trumpet of the Swan
Before starting your bird unit study, begin with a read a-loud book that ties to your bird unit theme. If you have never read, The Trumpet of the Swan, I highly recommend it. It was a joy to read. All three of our oldest boys (1st, 3rd, and 5th) loved this book. Louis, a trumpeter swan is determined to trumpet like his siblings, but since he is mute, he learns to play a real trumpet! In this delightful book by E.B. White, Louis exemplifies perseverance and hard work. Besides the unlikely storyline, the book also reveals some bird nesting facts about swans.
All About Birds Slideshow
The All About Birds slideshow is a great place to start. In this science reader, your student will learn what a bird is.
God created birds on the fifth day of creation. Birds have several characteristics that are similar to other animal groups including being a vertebrate and warm blooded. However, like all of God’s creation, birds have their own special qualities. This slideshow will help you teach your child what a bird is. It features those characteristics that are unique to birds.
Birds for Kids YouTube Video
There are many bird related videos on YouTube. This one was just long enough to convey all of the high points about birds without becoming so long that my kids’ attention drifted.
common characteristics of birds
Discovering the common characteristics of birds is made easy with our free educational slideshow and graphic organizers! To make use of these free resources, check out the Common Characteristics of Birds.
Write All About Birds using a Draw & Write Sheet
Draw & Write sheets can come in handy for those looking to add some writing into your day. Use this Bird Draw & Write sheet to encourage your student to write about the things they have learned thus far. For your younger students, this Draw & Write sheet may be more appropriate than the graphic organizer. To download the Bird draw & write sheet, go to our Sets of Draw & Write Sheets and Download the Science Draw & Sheets set.
Life Cycle of A Robin - Book & Video
Reading books that focus on your topic is a sure fire way to combine science and reading. From Egg to Robin is an effective science reader for your bird unit study. Be sure to also view the two videos below featuring the Life Cycle of a Robin from the stage of egg, hatchling, nestling, fledging, and finally adult. Enjoy!
Life Cycle of A Robin Graphic Organizer
The Life cycle of a Robin Graphic Organizer is a straight forward way to visually teach your child about a bird’s stages of life. This activity is a simple cut & paste graphic organizer. Depending on the ability of your child, you can choose the difficulty of your graphic organizer. We like to view the video below before we tackle this activity.
Life Cycle of A Robin Cards
The Life Cycle of a Robin Cards are a great alternative to the Life Cycle of a Robin graphic organizer. Use these cards as a sequencing activity or use the printout as a poster to show the stages of growth. You may find the last two pages helpful if you are leading multiple children. Being able to print multiple sets of cards at once is useful for a co-op too. Our co-op used these in a Bird Book that we made. The students used the cards to create their own Life Cycle of a Robin. Since the cards are lined up, it allows for easy cutting and separating.
All About Chickens Reader
This elementary science reader is All About Chickens. Come and learn some differences between roosters and hens. Discover new vocabulary words such as roosting and wattle. This is a great addition to your bird unit study. Have fun learning about chickens! Happy learning!
Chicken Embryo Cards
The Chicken Chick Website features a set of photos showing the development of a chicken embryo inside its egg. It is crazy to think that a baby chick can develop and hatch within 21 days! By using the photos provided on The Chicken Chick‘s site, I was able to make some very simple “Chicken Embryo Cards.” In our card set, we only used the odd number of days including days 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, etc.
For our science co-op, we plan to use the cards as part of an investigation bin on bird study day. In a home setting, encourage your student to put the cards in order from beginning to end so that they can see the progression. It is truly amazing to see God’s creation forming right in front of your eyes… and in such a short period of time! This is an awesome opportunity to talk to your kids about this verse: “Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee…” Jeremiah 1:5.
Anatomy of a Bird Worksheets
The Anatomy of a Bird Activity Sheets offers 6 different options to accommodate multiple levels and abilities. This set of activity sheets is a great addition to any bird unit study. Be sure to download your own set here!
birds beaks matching cards
You will find 8 different types of bird beak descriptions featured. There are many different shaped beaks, but these are the most common and well-known. To make cards, print on card stock for durability. Next, cut the cards out and laminate. These cards are perfect to be used as a predicting game. Try giving your child all of the cards and asking them to predict what it is they think each bird would eat based on their beak shape. Once they have made their predictions, go over their choices. If your student’s predictions are incorrect, give them the Beak Table to compare to or guide them to the correct answers through questioning.
Types of Bird Beaks Table
The Types of Bird Beaks table is an awesome resource to use when teaching students about the different shapes of bird beaks. Each beak shape affects how they eat and what they eat. A Bird’s beak gives you insight on their diet and lifestyle. There is a Types of Birds Beak reference sheet as well as 2 other tables providing students with fill in the blank sections. Have your student describe the beak on their own and research for themselves what each bird eats and how. This resource is only as effective as you make it!
Birds Feet & Function Cards
The Birds Feet & Function Cards is an easy tool to use. They help show your student how the structure of bird’ feet helps to determine their diet and habitat. Use these cards to talk about possible habitats for each of bird’s feet’s function. This is a great time to encourage critical thinking skills and open discussion. Make sure to ask inquiry questions, “Where do you think this bird lives?” or “Why do you think this bird doesn’t live in the water?”
35 Birds Kids Should Know Slideshow
Craft Time... Bird Watching Binoculars
Go Bird watching with your own homemade binoculars! In past years, I always used stapled toilet paper rolls with a string attached to create crafty binoculars. So, this was my first option when thinking about creating a simple craft to coincide with our bird-watching day.
My daughter had a different plan though. She wanted to invent her own. I helped her with this one, but the original was all her creation. Using two foam cups, bust out the bottoms for the eye holes. Next, use tape to adhere the string and cups together. If you have an imaginative child, you will enjoy watching them use their binoculars to find birds. Some kids need some encouragement to let go of their inhibitions. Don’t be scared to join in on the fun. Play a game where you both are explorers looking for exotic birds. Fun!
Top 20 Backyard Birds of Georgia
The Top 20 Backyard Birds in Georgia reference sheet will spark interest with students looking to identify their bird feeder friends. We have this reference sheet helpful in learning the names of birds that visit our backyard. Hopefully it can help you identify some your flying friends!
Thank you to Greg Gillson from the blog, “What Birds are in my backyard?” It was his thoroughness and wealth of information that made this list possible. Thank you also to the photographers at Pixabay for their amazing free photos.
Make a Crafty Bird Nest... Tweet Tweet
Use this easy Bird Nest Craft to create a learning experience. Kids will learn all about why birds build nests and why they are important. Create your own EASY Bird Nest Craft today!
Counting Birds Reader
For those of you with budding readers, try adding an emergent reader to your bird unit study. This emergent reader, Counting Birds, features the sight words: there, are, and the number words 1-10. Take a journey counting birds one to ten. Black and white clipart help to keep the printing down to a minimum for those of you looking to make a handheld booklet. To create a booklet for little hands, print 2 pages to a sheet. Once printed, cut the sheets in half and staple to create a booklet. It isn’t hard to do. Easy!
CoLOR Birds Reader
Do You See the Bird? features the sight words: do, you, see, the, and the color words. This reader helps to review sight words while allowing your child to color each of the birds on each page. You can work on reading skills, sight words, color recognition, and fine motor skills while using this resource.
Bird Feeder Craft that actually works!
The Bird Feeder Craft is inexpensive and functional. All you need is a foam bowl, yarn, and bird seed! Yes! That is it. To start, use a pencil to poke four holes around the top of the bowl (about an 1 1/2 inches from the outer rim of the bowl).
Next, cut two pieces of yarn about 36 inches long. Now, put a piece of yarn through one of the holes and pull it to the opposite hole letting the yarn run under the bowl. Does that make sense? See photo. Do the same with the other piece of yarn through the remaining two holes.
Now, even the string of yarn out on all sides so that the yarn can be gathered at the top evenly. After that, tie a knot connecting all four pieces of yarn while leaving at least 5 inches of yarn above it. This will help make your bowl remain sturdy when hung.
Finally, it is time to find a place to hang your feeder. Using the remaining yarn at the top, tie your bird feeder to a branch. Last but not least, add some bird seed into your feeder! Watch over the course of a week for birds to come eat at your new bird buffet. Don’t be discouraged if birds don’t come right away. It takes awhile for birds to realize you put food out for them. Especially if you have never done it before.
Food for thought...
Looking for a more permanent science curriculum? Even though we pursue various science units that encompass labs and such, we also use a science textbook each year. Some might say that our science units supplement our textbook, while others would say the opposite to be true. The labs, experiments, graphic organizers, videos, and other activities bring the textbook information to life.
We use Abeka Science textbooks. I love that they incorporate God and His sovereignty into their curriculum. When I taught in the public school system, I noticed that many of my students were lacking in vocabulary. This made it difficult for them to understand the why behind many of our investigations. Unfortunately, they were deficient in their background knowledge. Our science time would be lacking too if it weren’t for the rich vocabulary and science language that we find in our science textbook and readers. If you are interested in shopping for a full-time science curriculum or even just a textbook to guide you, click on the following link! Happy homeschooling!
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