Have you seen Birds, or a Nest?

In this activity students will learn about different types of birds’ nests and build their very own nest.
Grades: K-7
Seasons: Summer & Spring
Time: 10-20 minutes
Supplies: A variety of compostable nest building supplies such as twigs, moss, lichen, mud, features, dried grass, pine needles. Take a look at the resource sheet for different examples of nests.
Resources: Nest Building Resource Sheet
Lesson Plan PDF

Birds are all over our landscape if you know how to look.

Watch as Wildsight Educator Ayla reads Have You Seen Birds by Joanne Oppenheim, illustrated by Barbara Reid, pointing out some of types of birds and the many places you might find them while backyard birding.

Can you spot any nests in the story, or in your backyard?

Try this Bird Nest activity to develop empathy and awe for these amazing feathered architects!

Introduction:

Pretend you are a bird who needs to start building its nest. Are you a small Chickadee or Sparrow living in a cup nest? Are you a Dark Eyed Junco camouflaging your ground nest in tall grass? Or maybe you’re a Magpie who likes a dome nest with a roof and a back door?

Directions:

• Choose which type of nest to make: cup, ground, or dome.

• Gather building materials. Make sure all your materials are natural and compostable.

• Combine your supplies into the shape you want. Hint, some materials bend better when wet.

• Put your nest outside and watch to see if anyone moves in!


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