Activity: Bird watching

Activity details

One of the main reasons people find birds so amazing is that they can fly, something we’re sure that most of your class would like to be able to do as well. How do birds do it? Well of course there are the wings. And then there are the bones full of air holes that mean the bird’s body is light enough to be airborne. Our bones - on the other hand - are solid, with no air holes, meaning that even the smallest of small babies would be too heavy to fly, even if they did have wings.

Instructions:

Take your class outside to a place where you know there are birds - it can be the schoolyard or the local park, anywhere with a range of trees, shrubs and open spaces. Ask you class to use their eagle eyes to look for items on the checklist. If you have access to an iPad or device your students can digitally fill in the checklist. 

Watching bird’s fly is a wonderful thing to do with children: watch them duck and weave and swoop and glide. Imagine how the world must look from wh

Checklist

Use your eagle eye to spot the different birds from the list below. 

A bird that flaps its wings when it flies
A bird that doesn’t flap its wings and just soars instead
A bird flying on its own
A group (flock) of birds flying together
A bird catching some insects
If you’re near water, a bird that is fishing
Where are birds flying? Are they soaring high in the sky? Are they making short tips between trees or buildings? Or are they making short hops between branches in the same tree? Or are they walking around on the ground or in the trees?
How well do the birds land? Do they land smoothly or do they seem to crash?
Do they make any noises when they take off?