Nature does not produce waste like humans do; everything created in nature is used and has a purpose. Invite the children to be like a bird and create a nest using items only found in nature.
Materials:
• Mud, clay, or any other thick natural material you can form into shapes
• Natural sturdy items: sticks, plant stems, thick-veined feathers, bark, stemmed flowers, etc.
• Natural soft, fluffy items: cattail fluff, dandelion seeds, thin-veined feathers, moss, animal hair
• Tweezers
Procedure:
Head outside and look for nests in the trees and bushes to see what materials birds use in your area. If you find one, look from afar as it may still be an active home. If it is an abandoned bird nest, you can get up close and inspect it.
Find a material like mud or clay and form it into a ball for the base. If the mud is too thin, add dry dirt to make it thicker.
Press your thumb into the top of the ball repeatedly in a circle until the hole is your preferred depth and width.
Collect natural items and push into the base one at a time until each piece is sturdy enough to hold without falling apart. For fragile items like thinly veined leaves and feathers, use tweezers to guide the item into the base, imitating how a bird uses its narrow beak to place each item.
Once the structure of your nest is complete, find soft, fluffy material to use as bedding for the inside of the nest. Fluffy seeds such as dandelion or cattail are great for this.
Let the nest dry and harden.
Take it further:
To gain a bird’s perspective when in a nest, build one that is big enough to fit people inside. A bald eagle’s nest is an average of 4-5 feet wide and 2-4 feet deep, constructed primarily with sticks and branches. Collect fallen branches and layer in a circle until you have the depth and width needed, then fill the inside with soft items like grass and moss. Climb in and see what it is like to be inside a bird’s nest!
Did you know?
Birds use a variety of materials when building a nest, even litter like plastic, rope, straws, and fluff from the inside of a jacket. The next time you are outside, make sure to bring a bag to pick up garbage littered on the ground to help protect the wild animals!