Category: Structure and Function

Birds of a Feather – Activities

FOCUS: All birds share a similar body plan with two legs, beaks, wings, light-weight bones, and feathers. Unique to birds, feathers are an extremely versatile body covering. They provide warm, light-weight insulation, a streamlined shape, colors and patterns for hiding or attracting a mate, and of course they are essential for flight. Birds live in a variety of different habitats, eating a wide range of foods. Each species’ beak, feet, shape, color, and behavior are adapted to meet its particular needs.

NOTE: It is illegal to possess feathers or other parts of birds without having the required state and federal permits.

INTRODUCTION
Objective: To begin to explore and ask questions about bird bodies.

Give small groups of children a variety of feathers to examine, one per child if it is windy, and ask them to discuss what they notice and wonder about them.

Materials: a variety of feathers (obtained from a licensed owner or craft supply store) – one per child, magnifying lenses.

FEATHER SORTING
Objective: To observe different kinds of feathers, considering their different functions.

Give each child a feather. Ask the children to sort themselves into groups with similar feathers. They might sort themselves by color, pattern, size, or another characteristic. Continue reading Birds of a Feather – Activities

Birds of a Feather – Puppet Show

Fine Feathers Fashion Revue

Characters: Blue Jay, Harriet Hare, Wendy Woodcock, Mr. Cardinal, Mr. Mallard Duck.

Props: Quirky-bird costume.

Blue Jay Welcome one and all to the Fine Feathers Fashion Revue!

Hare  What’s a revue?

Blue Jay It’s a show with lots of different performers showing what they can do. Continue reading Birds of a Feather – Puppet Show

Birds of a Feather – Standards

BIRDS OF A FEATHER ALIGNMENT WITH
NEXT GENERATION SCIENCE STANDARDS

The activities in this unit help children understand the basic concepts in the Disciplinary Core Ideas listed here. You can use the following list as a guide for lesson planning. These Disciplinary Core Ideas are taken from Grade Band Endpoints in A Framework for K-12 Science Education. Additionally, our activities give children opportunities to engage in many of the Science and Engineering Practices and reflect on the Crosscutting Concepts as identified in the Next Generation Science Standards. Continue reading Birds of a Feather – Standards

Calling All Owls – Background

Many of us have stories of owls flying across the road in front of our cars, calling eerily outside our windows, or quietly staring at us from a tree on a misty gray day. We recall these encounters vividly, for owls are such fascinating and mysterious creatures. As nighttime hunters, owls have incredibly specialized eyes, ears, feathers, feet, and digestion, all of which contribute to their superior predatory ability. Their calls are unique too, and, though strange and foreign to our ears, they are an important adaptation for owls to communicate with each other. Continue reading Calling All Owls – Background

Calling All Owls – Activities

FOCUS: Owls are birds of prey with many special adaptations related to their lives as nighttime hunters. With soft wings, huge eyes, and superb hearing, they can detect the slightest sound or movement and swoop down silently on their unsuspecting prey. Owl pellets tell us about their food preferences, and their calls, an adaptation for communicating with others of their kind, tell us which owls are living in our area.

INTRODUCTION
Objective: To begin to explore and ask questions about owls.

Play a recording of a barred owl or great horned owl call. Ask children what they think about when they hear the sound. Then show a photo of the owl and ask for observations or questions.

Materials: audio recording and photo of either a barred owl or great horned owl.

IT’S A HOOT: OWL PHOTOS AND SOUNDS
Objective: To meet some different owls and learn to recognize their calls.

Show pictures of owls known to live in the local area. Ask children to point out differences in their appearance such as size, eye color, patterning, and whether they have ear tufts or not. Now play recordings of each owl. Have the children think of words or phrases to imitate each call and help to remember it. Continue reading Calling All Owls – Activities

Calling All Owls – Puppet Show

The Bedtime Story

 

Characters: Father mouse, young mouse, Great Horned Owl

Mouse  Daddy, will you tell me a bedtime story?

Father Mouse  Okay, how about a story about an owl?

Mouse  Oooh, a scary story. I like scary stories.

Father Mouse  Once upon a time there was a little mouse, and in the woods nearby there lived a great horned owl. The owl slept all day long, but as soon as it got dark out, it would wake up and sing out into the darkness…(Father exits, owl enters) Continue reading Calling All Owls – Puppet Show

Calling All Owls – Standards

CALLING ALL OWLS ALIGNMENT WITH
NEXT GENERATION SCIENCE STANDARDS

The activities in this unit help children understand the basic concepts in the Disciplinary Core Ideas listed here. You can use the following list as a guide for lesson planning. These Disciplinary Core Ideas are taken from Grade Band Endpoints in A Framework for K-12 Science Education. Additionally, our activities give children opportunities to engage in many of the Science and Engineering Practices and reflect on the Crosscutting Concepts as identified in the Next Generation Science Standards. Continue reading Calling All Owls – Standards

Daunting Defenses – Background

Plants and animals need defenses to keep from being eaten. Nearly all animals have predators of one kind or another, and eluding capture usually means running away, hiding, or both. But when avoidance fails and the predator gets too near, most animals still have an effective last line of defense. Plants need defenses too, for protection from the many animals that feed upon them. Plants can’t run away or hide, but they have evolved a diverse armory of useful adaptations for fending off herbivores. Continue reading Daunting Defenses – Background