Winter Birding pictures

We are really lucky that one of our nature school nannies, Mandy Watson, is a photographer. She and the child she nannies for have been coming since the beginning. Mandy is a fabulous photographer and has started taking pictures during our nature exploration classes! Last week, when we went birding, she snapped some pictures of the kids in action.

listening to birds- photo courtesy of Mandy Watson

exploring the wetland

listening to birds 

life cycle of a duck puppets

duck life cycle puppets

learning about ducks

homemade toilet paper roll binoculars

nature school totes :)

    

nature school buddies

beautiful walk out to the wetlands

            

making bird feeders out of toilet paper rolls, crisco, and bird seed

 The pictures above are all courtesy of Mandy Watson

Lesson plan: Birds in the winter

Before I post this lesson plan, I have a confession...  I am a closet birder. I love watching and learning about birds. I feel like birding is kind of an old couple thing, so for some reason I'm embarrassed to admit this. Birds are so interesting to me, though. Last summer, I took my kids to this one wetland about 20 times just so I could check out the birds that live there. 


So, that being said, I think we've done about 4 nature school lessons on birds over the past year +. They are fun in the spring because they are busy building nests, collecting grass and twigs, and finding mates, in the summer because of the baby birds (especially the waterfowl!!), and in the fall because they are migrating and flying in v's. Here in the Seattle, I think the winter is equally, if not more, interesting! We have all these unique waterfowl that migrate from Alaska and Canada and make their winter home here in Seattle. You can't see them in the spring, summer, and fall because they migrate back North, so we have this exciting opportunity to go see them tomorrow. I'm excited!


Here is a link to the lesson plan- Birds in the winter lesson plan
Here is a link to the "birding with kids" handout- birding with kids handout

Nature School, Jan. 23rd, 2012
Birds in the winter
Seattle wetland area

Welcome Song

Letter of the day: W for winter and wetland

What happens to birds in the winter?
The migrate!

Facts about birds:
What do birds eat?
-insects (insectivores)
-worms, spiders, mice (carnivores)
-berries, nuts, seeds, grasses (herbivores)

baby birds hatch from their eggs by cutting their way out
birds have feathers
birds have wings ad can fly
birds have beaks
birds do not have teeth
birds have a special bone in their tongue

Listening and Watching Activity:

Give each child the “Birding for kids” handout- https://docs.google.com/document/pub?id=13MA_iyWAwFcNsXsc2X_nOpunNuatNWMuqwU9q7OA_sI
Encourage the kids to stop, look and listen. Birds sing, they protect their territory, they attract mates, they hunt for food. This behavior is fascinating to watch. Make sure the children in your life notice these things.

Ask the kids to listen to the bird songs and see if they can distinguish one from another. They may enjoy imitating the bird calls.

Ask the kids to find a quiet spot and watch for birds. What different colors did they see How big were the birds they saw? What did their beaks look like?

Role Play:
Act out the day in the life of a bird with the duck puppets

Games:
Duck, duck, goose

Songs:

Little bird
Little bird, little bird, fly through my window
Little bird, little bird, fly through my window
Little bird, little bird, fly through my window
Find molasses candy
Through my window, my sugar lump
Fly through my window, my sugar lump
Find molasses candy

Bluebird, bluebird....
Hummingbird, hummingbird....
Woodpecker, woodpecker.....
Let the kids tell you their favorite bird

(this song can be sung along with a game. Have the children stand in the circle holding hands with their arms up in arches to form “windows” during the song. One kid is the little bird who flies in and out of the arches or “windows”. During the second verse, the “bird” chooses another child by patting him or her on the shoulder. The next child becomes the bird who flies through the window.)


Little Bird (sung to "Up on the housetop")
Most of the bird have gone away
On this cold, dark winter day,
But here is one bird I can see.
Looking for something to eat.
Little bird, I'll feed you
Till the cold winter's through
And all your friends come back to play,
On some bright and warm spring day.


How can we help take care of birds in the winter?
Craft: Toilet paper bird feeder. Take a toilet paper roll and spread shortening on it, then roll it in bird seed. It can be hung on a tree by simply sliding it onto a tree branch.


Union Bay Natural Area Winter Birding:
Winter is waterfowl season at the Fill. We routinely get Mallard, Gadwall, Green-winged Teal, the occasional Eurasian Teal (same guy who's been coming for the past two years), American and Eurasian Wigeon, Northern Pintail, Northern Shoveler, overwintering Cinnamon Teal, Canvasback, occasional Redhead, Ring-necked, Greater and Lesser Scaup (good opportunities to compare), Common Goldeneye, Bufflehead, Common Merganser, Hooded Merganser, and Ruddy. Three Trumpeter Swans who grew up here a few winters ago now return each year with their mates.
We usually host overwintering Virginia Rails, Marsh Wrens, Green Herons, and Savannah Sparrows. Winter is the time when Western Scrub-Jays appear, along with other winter rarities such as Red-breasted Sapsucker (a male who makes the Fill part of his circuit), Varied Thrush, Western Meadowlark, Band-tailed Pigeon, Eurasian Collared-Dove, and Pacific Wren.
In late 2011 we had our first Barred Owl. Also, back from who knows where, Short-eared Owl.

If you're lucky: Distinct possibilities in 2011-2012 are Tufted Duck, Barrow's Goldeneye, Western Screech-Owl, Cattle Egret, Rough-legged Hawk, any longspur, Snow Bunting, Tropical Kingbird, both redpolls, Snowy Owl, Northern Wheatear, Lewis's Woodpecker, a wagtail, Bohemian Waxwing, and Palm Warbler.

Hibernation Lesson Plan

*note- We did this lesson in November when the weather began to change from fall to winter here in Seattle. It could be done anytime in the fall, winter, or even spring when things begin to warm up. This lesson has a lot of material. It could be divided into a couple of different lessons. 

Hibernation

Welcome Song

Letter of the day- H
Today we are going to learn about HIBERNATION! Does anyone know what that word means?

Winter is cold.  There are cold rains and winds that blow. Soon, there will be snow on the ground.  Where to do we go to stay warm in the winter? What do we eat in the winter? What do we wear in the winter? (Let each child have a turn answering)

What do animals do in the winter?
Some animals get very sleepy during the winter months when the weather gets cold and they take a nap. This is called hibernation. There are lots of different ways that animals hibernate. Some animals fall asleep very deeply for a few months. Some sleep more lightly and wake up every so often. When animals hibernate they don’t need to eat very food. Some don’t even eat at all!
Do you know of any animals that hibernate in the winter?
Bears
Chipmunks
Frogs
Snakes
Bugs
Other animals stay active in winter. It is hard for them to find food. They may live in holes in trees or under the ground to stay warm. Here are a few animals that stay active:
Deer
Squirrels
Rabbits


Migration- Some birds fly south for the winter. We call this migration. They go to a warmer place to find food. Other birds stay here all winter. We can help by feeding them.

Story
You can make up any story you want. Here is the one I told- 
“I have a little friend who lives in the forest.  Her name is Sally Chipmunk. She lives with her brothers and sisters in a hollow tree.  They have such a lovely, warm, snuggly home. During the spring, summer, and fall, Sally eats and eats and eats. She eats so much because she knows that when fall ends and the cold wind blows, there will be no more food to gather and she will take a long, warm nap with her brothers and sisters. So during the warm summer months, she and her siblings gather leaves and grass and moss to make their hollow tree home warm and comfortable. 

Right around now, Sally takes a look at the beautiful forest she calls home, closes the door to her home tight and pads it with sticks and leaves, and nestles into her little bed. She closes her eyes and falls asleep! Now, do you think she closes her eyes and sleeps for just one night like you and I? No! When she wakes up weeks have passed! When she wakes up the buds are forming on the trees and the daffodils and crocuses are popping up from the ground. The snow has come and gone and it is spring! Sally and her brothers and sisters stretch, stretch, stretch. They climbed out of their home and into the sunshine. Sally took a big huge breath. The air smelled like Spring! Spring had arrived.



Action Poems
Winter is cold (Hug yourself and shiver)
There is snow in the sky (Flutter fingers above your head)
The squirrel gathers nuts (Pretend to gather nuts)
And the wild geese fly (Flap arms)
The fluffy red fox (Cup hands over head to form ears)
Has his fur to keep warm (Stroke arms as if stroking fur)
The bear's in her cave (Form a cave shape with your arms)
Sleeping all through the storm (Fold hands under cheek and pretend to sleep)


Here is a cave. (bend fingers to form cave)
Inside is a bear. (put thumb inside fingers)
Now he comes out. (thumb out)
To get some fresh air.
He stays out all summer
In sunshine and heat.
He hunts in the forest
For berries to eat. (move thumb in circle)
When snow starts to fall
He hurries inside.
His warm little cave (thumb in)
And there he will hide.
Snow covers the cave
Like a fluffy white rug. (cover with other hand)
Inside the bear sleeps
All cozy and snug.




As we go on our hike, let’s pretend to be very, very, sleepy bears. Let’s find a place to take a winter’s nap. We will keep our eyes open for comfy places that animals, birds, and insects might like to take a nap. When we find a place to sleep, let's all lie down and pretend to hibernate!



Song
"Bear is sleeping
Bear is sleeping,
in her cave
in her cave,
wonder when she'll wake up
wonder when she'll wake up,
in the spring
in the spring..."
(we started with a bear puppet buddy and followed with: bat in her cave, skunk in his den, ground squirrel in the ground, ladybug under a log, snail in her shell, turtle in the pond.)



Hibernation craft-
Here is a very cute idea for a little animal in a cave found at this neat blog- http://almostunschoolers.blogspot.com/2011/10/bears-are-still-awake-hibernation-craft.html

Additional information on hibernation, migration, and adaptation

MIGRATE
Animals do many different, amazing things to get through the winter. Some of them "migrate." This means they travel to other places where the weather is warmer or they can find food.
Many birds migrate in the fall. Because the trip can be dangerous, some travel in large flocks. For example, geese fly in noisy, "V"-shaped groups. Other kinds of birds fly alone.
How do they know when it is time to leave for the winter? Scientists are still studying this. Many see migration as part of a yearly cycle of changes a bird goes through. The cycle is controlled by changes in the amount of daylight and the weather.
Birds can fly very long distances. For example, the Arctic tern nests close to the North Pole in the summer. In autumn, it flys south all the way to Antarctica. Each spring it returns north again.
Most birds migrate shorter distances. But how do they find their way to the same place each year? Birds seem to navigate like sailors once did, using the sun, moon and stars for direction. They also seem to have a compass in their brain for using the Earth's magnetic field.
Other animals migrate, too. There are a few mammals, like some bats, caribou and elk, and whales that travel in search of food each winter. Many fish migrate. They may swim south, or move into deeper, warmer water.
Insects also migrate. Some butterflies and moths fly very long distances. For example, Monarch butterflies spend the summer in Canada and the Northern U.S. They migrate as far south as Mexico for the winter. Most migrating insects go much shorter distances. Many, like termites and Japanese beetles, move downward into the soil. Earthworms also move down, some as far as six feet below the surface.

ADAPT
Some animals remain and stay active in the winter. They must adapt to the changing weather. Many make changes in their behavior or bodies. To keep warm, animals may grow new, thicker fur in the fall. On weasels and snowshoe rabbits, the new fur is white to help them hide in the snow.
Food is hard to find in the winter. Some animals, like squirrels, mice and beavers, gather extra food in the fall and store it to eat later. Some, like rabbits and deer, spend winter looking for moss, twigs, bark and leaves to eat. Other animals eat different kinds of food as the seasons change. The red fox eats fruit and insects in the spring, summer and fall. In the winter, it can not find these things, so instead it eats small rodents.
Animals may find winter shelter in holes in trees or logs, under rocks or leaves, or underground. Some mice even build tunnels through the snow. To try to stay warm, animals like squirrels and mice may huddle close together.
Certain spiders and insects may stay active if they live in frost-free areas and can find food to eat. There are a few insects, like the winter stone fly, crane fly, and snow fleas, that are normally active in winter. Also, some fish stay active in cold water during the winter.


HIBERNATE
Some animals "hibernate" for part or all of the winter. This is a special, very deep sleep. The animal's body temperature drops, and its heartbeat and breathing slow down. It uses very little energy. In the fall, these animals get ready for winter by eating extra food and storing it as body fat. They use this fat for energy while hibernating. Some also store food like nuts or acorns to eat later in the winter. Bears, skunks, chipmunks, and some bats hibernate.

AND MORE
Cold-blooded animals like fish, frogs, snakes and turtles have no way to keep warm during the winter. Snakes and many other reptiles find shelter in holes or burrows, and spend the winter inactive, or dormant. This is similar to hibernation.
Water makes a good shelter for many animals. When the weather gets cold, they move to the bottom of lakes and ponds. There, frogs, turtles and many fish hide under rocks, logs or fallen leaves. They may even bury themselves in the mud. They become dormant. Cold water holds more oxygen than warm water, and the frogs and turtles can breath by absorbing it through their skin.
Insects look for winter shelter in holes in the ground, under the bark of trees, deep inside rotting logs or in any small crack they can find. One of the most interesting places is in a gall. A gall is a swelling on a plant. It is caused by certain insects, fungi or bacteria. They make a chemical that affects the plant's growth in a small area, forming a lump. The gall becomes its maker's home and food source.
Every type of insect has its own life cycle, which is the way it grows and changes. Different insects spend the winter in different stages of their lives. Many insects spend the winter dormant, or in "diapause." Diapause is like hibernation. It is a time when growth and development stop. The insect's heartbeat, breathing and temperature drop. Some insects spend the winter as worm-like larvae. Others spend the winter as pupae. (This is a time when insects change from one form to another.) Other insects die after laying eggs in the fall. The eggs hatch into new insects in the spring and everything begins all over again.

Outdoor exploration websites

http://www.fws.gov/letsgooutside/families.html

http://www.nwf.org/Get-Outside.aspx

http://www.arborday.org/explore/

http://www.naturerocks.org/

http://www.naturerocks.org/uploadedFiles/NR_Winter_2011-2012_ActivityGuide.pdf

http://my.nature.org/kids/

http://www.childrenandnature.org/

http://www.pbs.org/parents/special/earthday.html

Answering Questions

This post is for Tiffany who had some terrific questions for me. First of all, thanks for visiting the blog! Thank you Serena for sending your friend this way :)

So, to answer your questions:

We meet once a week during the cold months. Last summer we tried to meet twice a week but the second meet-up was much more unstructured (no formal lesson plan, more child-led exploring, etc). In the summer, when kids are out of school and the weather is nice, people seem to have much more flexibility and time to play outside.

We have about 5 standard, kid hike-able spots that we go back to often but I throw in new places all the time. We usually go a little further afield once every two months (to an old growth forest, a farm, wetland, etc.). I try to connect our location with our theme. If we are learning about frogs, we go to a wetland. If we are learning about trees, we go to the woods. If we are learning about flowers, we go to a place where lots of wildflowers are growing, etc. I like to pick places without a playground. I find that if there is a playground, the kids are so drawn to it and its difficult to get them to want to explore the unmanicured and natural areas.

I don't have a good answer on my approach for each week. This week, we learned about trees because my 4 year old had been asking if we could go into the woods and find a good climbing tree :) I definitely make an effort to tie the seasons in with our lessons. For the month of November, each week we focused on things we are grateful for (the earth, our families, our senses, food). Sometimes I ask the kids what they want to learn about and I use that I a place to start. Last year, I remember asking the kids and they all wanted to learn about dump trucks or tranformers or something like that! I don't think I ever ended up doing a lesson on dump trucks but the kids sure love talking about what they are interested in :) Once I figure out what I want to teach for a specific week, I scan the internet for ideas, go through files from when I worked as a field trip teacher at the arboretum, or I think up things while I'm trying to fall asleep! If you need ideas, feel free to ask. I have so many lesson plans and I'm planning to post them all eventually. 

Homemade paper

We made homemade paper at nature school today. This was such a fun activity to do with kids! From start to finish, you make make a piece of paper in less than 10 min (if you have all the equipment ready beforehand). The kids were all able to take home a freshly made piece of homemade paper. I used a couple of different websites for info. One was Paper Alice's youtube tutorial- http://youtu.be/UlX87tvei7c
The other was instructables- http://www.instructables.com/id/Homemade-Paper/

Here are some pictures of our creations:

The kids collected moss and grass on our hike to add to the paper pulp. We also added glitter, spices, and a little bit of colored paper to the mixture. Now I'm thinking my boys and I might have to make another batch for homemade valentines!

Schedule for the winter

Jan. 9th- Trees
Jan. 16th- Birds
Jan. 23rd- Soil and Mud
Jan. 30th- Snowflakes and snow
Feb. 6th- Mushrooms (guest teacher Milton Tam- Puget Sound Mycological Society Vice President)
Feb. 13th- Love (Valentine's Day)
Feb. 20th- Owls
Feb. 27th- Starting seeds for spring (peas and spinach)
Mar. 5th- Field trip to the Issaquah Salmon Hatchery (http://www.issaquahfish.org/index.html)
Mar. 12th- St. Patrick's Day

Trees lesson plan

Nature School, Jan. 9th, 2011

Be a friend to TREES

Welcome song

Letter of the Day
T for tree
Talk about children’s names that start with “t” and other words they like- treat, tooth, toe, table, tears, try, etc.

Pretend Play
Act out the parts of a tree-
Curl up in a ball and pretend to be a seed. Then slowly stand up tall and stretch arms out. Plant your feet into the ground like roots. Slurp, slurp, slurp. The roots suck up water from the ground. Now puff out your chest- your middle is the trunk, sturdy and strong. The trunk has an important job- it holds up the branches and the leaves. It also protects the tree from getting sick and insects eating it all up! Now, sway your arms in the breeze. Feel the mighty wind through your branches and leaves. Now wiggle your fingers! Your leaves are super important they are what make food for you to eat (pretend to feed yourself with your hands). Close your eyes and imagine what it feels like to be a tree.

Group activity
Adopt a tree
As a group, go on a search for a “special tree”. When everyone agrees on a tree, take some time to let the kids get to know it. Look for special traits- branches, bark, leaves, roots, markings, mushrooms, holes, etc. Let the kids get to know it by smelling, touching, listening, looking with magnifiers.
Have the kids sit under the tree and look up into the branches. What kinds of animals might live here? Now everyone be very quiet and listen to our tree. What does it sound like? Do we hear birds, squirrels, branches creaking?
Feel the bark. Does it feel soft, smooth, rough, cold, warm?
Bark rubbing- A bark rubbing is a way to remember our special tree and take a part of it home without hurting it. Give each child a crayon and piece of paper. Have an adult help hold the paper in place on the bark of the tree, while the child rubs a crayon back and forth over paper.

Games
Play “Ring around the Tree” with the tree you have found. Have the kids make a circle around the tree by linking hands. Sing the following to the tune of “Ring around the rosie”
Ring around the tree, you are so tall and free
Wind blows, wind blows the leaves fall down!

Tree Tag
This is a very, very simple game that kids as young as 1 ½ can play!
Find an area with lots of trees. Have the kids stand next to a tree. When you call out “Switch!” they run to a new tree. Wait till all the kids have found a new tree, then call out “Switch” again. Kids love the anticipation and getting to run. We have played this game for a good twenty minutes before losing interest ;)

Book
Read “Be a friend to trees”

Discussion
Why are trees important?
They give us air to breath- we could not live without them
Wood to build things
Shade
Nice to look at
Homes for animals and insects
Food for animals and insects

How can we take care of trees-
Climb gently, plant a tree, protect forests

Craft
Homemade Paper- this craft must be done at a home because you need a blender, water, screens, etc.
http://www.instructables.com/id/Homemade-Paper/

Poem

This poem always inspires me to get outside with my kids. I've had it up on my fridge for a couple of years now. There have been many days when I've been stopped in my tracks as I reflect while reading it. Its helped me prioritize my "to-do" list for the day. What is the best thing I could be doing for my kids and myself? Hope you enjoy it also-

I Took His Hand and Followed

Mrs. Roy L. Peifer

My dishes went unwashed today,

I didn’t make the bed,

I took his hand and followed

Where his eager footsteps led.

Oh yes, we went adventuring,

My little son and I,

Exploring all the great outdoors

Beneath the summer sky.

We waded in a crystal stream,

We wandered through a wood.

My kitchen wasn’t swept today,

But life was sweet and good.

We found a cool sun-dappled glade

And now my small son knows

How Mother Bunny hides her nest

Where fern and larkspur grow.

We watched a robin feed her young,

We climbed a sunlit hill,

Saw cloud-sheep scamper through the sky;

We plucked a daffodil.

That my house was neglected,

That I didn’t sweep the stair,

In twenty years no one on earth

Will know or even care.

But that I’ve helped a little boy

To noble manhood grow,

In twenty years the whole wide world

May look and see and know.

How Nature Preschool works

I use the following format for the nature preschool I teach. There are many, many different ways that you can do your own class. This format has worked well for us but I'm sure there are many ways to make a nature group or class run smoothly.

Parent/Nanny involvement- I ask parents/nannies to stay and participate for the entire class. I think that parental involvement is very important. Toddlers are much more likely to pay attention and participate if they see their designated adult participating. As a safety precaution, I need the parents to stay through the entire class because we are wandering around in the woods or near ponds and I cannot adequately watch 20 toddlers!

Hike- I always include a hike with our class. We usually start off class with a 5-10 minute lesson. Somewhere in the middle of our hike we do a science experiment or project. Nearing the end, we sing our songs. If I have a running around game planned, I look for places along the hike that are open and flat where the game would work well. At the end of our hike, we do a craft or coloring activity.

Hikes are really, really important during the winter months. It keeps us moving and warm. During the summer, we don't always have a long hike. Sometimes we go to the beach and play, or to the wetland to catch bugs and our hikes are not as long.

Nature School totes- Each child has a tote with a few tools in it. Our totes include a magnifier, a bug box, and a pond net. Some of the kids have additional supplies. We have ordered the materials for our totes in bulk which helps save money on shipping.

Fees- I run my nature preschool free of charge. I do ask for parents to contribute to the cost of materials for crafts and some teaching tools. The reason I do not charge is because I want anyone and everyone to be able to participate regardless of their financial situation. I also want to keep my personal focus on my own two kiddos- if one of them is having a difficult day, I like to feel free to turn my attention to him and not worry about letting down the other parents. This format gives me more flexibility in the way I run the class.