B is for Birds

• Story and Bird search
1. We read Ruby’s Birds by Mya Thompson
2. Then we went on a walk/hike to listen and watch for birds.
• I wish I would have made them keep track of how many birds we saw and how many we heard. That would have been good tally practice!

• Feather Counting
1. With laminated birds, have your preschooler tell you the number that is on it and add that many feathers.
   *(I can’t find the original of these, and can’t even remember if I made them or if I got them from someone else!) 

• Book and Rhyming
1. We read Wings by Cheryl B. Klein, it is a book written only with words that rhyme with “wings” 
2. Get some letters out and practice sounding out and rhyming “-ings” words.

• Playdoh egg counting
1. Use this bird’s nest playdoh mat
2. Make playdoh “eggs” (roll playdoh in a ball)
3. Write or put a number in the square on the bottom right of the mat (printed from above), and have your preschooler count out that many eggs to put in the nest.

***Find a lot more Birds preschool activities here or on our instagram account (saved in our highlights under “Bb”)

Eggs & Bird Nests

I love Spring and Easter time.

My friend, Camie, hosted preschool at her house earlier this month and we spent a wonderful morning full of eggs and nests … perfect for Spring!

• Read “The Golden Egg Book” by Margaret Wise Brown … I had never seen this book, but I actually just ordered one for myself! I loved it. It has a vintage look, adorable illustrations and a cute story. 

  BOOK DESCRIPTION: One little bunny finds an egg and tries every which way to open it because he wants to find out what is inside (He jumps on it, rolls it down a hill, and even throws a rock at it … a very small rock, and not very hard, because he’s not a very big little bunny.) He can hear something peck, peck, pecking inside. Then he falls asleep and the something comes out! Very cute.

• Read “Chickens Aren't the Only Ones” by Ruth Heller.
  1. Before reading, ask the kids if they know any animals that come from eggs.
  2. My 4-year-old was excited to share that dinosaurs come from eggs. And I was impressed that even dinosaurs were included in this book.

 

• Egg Game … the kids loved choosing and opening Easter eggs to discover what animal was inside!
  1. Gather several empty plastic Easter eggs
  2. Print out a small picture of animals that lay eggs, about 1” square and put them in the eggs. Include enough copies for each of the kids. We used these for another activity later. Click the image below to print the pictures we used. All images are from Microsoft Clipart.
  3. Spread the eggs out on the floor and let the kids choose one egg.
  4. Open it and discover what animals come from an egg!

• Egg Wiggle Game … I thought this game was adorable. Kids are so funny. Some days they jump right up and wiggle along. And some days they look at you like you’re crazy for wiggling like an octopus
  1. Cut out several colorful egg shapes (or use a pack of foam egg shapes)
  2. On the back, attach a picture of an animal that comes from an egg. Click the picture below to print the animals we used:

     dinosaur octopus frog turkey spider snake fish

  3. Turn the egg shapes upside-down on the floor and have one of the kids choose one.
  4. Act like that animal … Wiggle like an octopus! Hop like a frog!

 

• Giant Egg & Poem
  1. Cut out a large egg shape.
  2. Print the following egg poem. Cut & paste it to the center of the egg.
  3. Use the small 1” animal pictures from the game above.
  4. Let the kids glue the pictures all over the egg! Gluesticks worked great!

• Bird Nest Cookies … treats are always a treat at Camie’s house! She made these yummy bird nest treats for the kids. I had one too, of course! You can visit her blog, Pass the Peas, Please for the recipe!

• Deviled Green Eggs & Ham … and always a more grown-up treat for the moms These were so good, I had a couple. A perfect combination of egg, ham and green spinach! Get the recipe at Pass the Peas, Please.

Cheerio Bird Feeders

We decided to try this idea I saw over at Preschool Playbook. So simple and so useful! You could use it during B week for birds, C week for Cheerios or O week for circle shapes (it’s also winter by the time we make it to O week and the birds are hungrier!)

 

1. Let the kids each choose their favorite pipe cleaner color. I found these fun stripy ones at Joann for $0.99.
2. Loop and twist the end (keeps the cheerios from sliding off)
3. Let the kids thread Cheerios (or other O-shaped cereal) on the pipe cleaner.
4. Loop and twist the other end.
5. Hang on a branch outside!

 

Birds

• Birds Fly South
  1. Explain that some birds fly south for the winter.
  2. Make simple paper airplanes and secure the underside of each plane (near the nose) with a paper clip.
  3. Decorate the plane with crayons and craft feathers to look like a bird.
  4. When dry, point them in the right direction and fly the birds south!

  

• Build a simple birdhouse together.
  1. I actually just cut out the separate pieces with scrap wood and drilled holes for the opening and perch. Amazon actually has several ready-to-build kits here (very reasonable prices too)!
  2. There are GREAT ideas for alternate birdhouses (pinecones, pop bottles, recycled materials) found here. Just scroll down. I’m going to try some of these next time!

Worms

We had to include worms this week. We read a non-fiction book about worms from the library. Now we know:

• Worms don’t have eyes
• They do have mouths at the end of their body.
• They eat dirt and leaves
• They dig tunnels in the dirt
• They like it wet.
• Frogs, fish and birds like to eat worms.

Pick a book with lots of pictures, those are the best. I told my 3-year-old he could go dig worms in the dirt … when Dad gets home.

• Finger Puppet Birds
  1. Print out these birds on sugardoodle.net. Click the link.
  2. Cut out the openings.
  3. The kids can stick their little fingers in the holes for the beak.
• Birds eat Worms!
  1. Scatter gummy worms (those are my kind of worms) all over the floor
  2. Use the finger puppet birds to fly around the pick up the worms.
  3. Then eat them!

Snack Idea: Dirt cups (chocolate pudding with cookie crumbs on top and gummy worms in a cup)