Feeding The Birds Activity
Birds are amazing animals that add so much to nature and our surroundings. They are fun to watch and learn about, and some of them even help us with keeping a handle on the insect population or keeping down the mice population, for example. In this activity we will learn and practice our hands-on skills while having an opportunity to help support the birds around us; after all, the number of cats hunting them are our fault and they could use our help especially in the winter.
My family recently moved to a new house, and now we have a large south-facing deck with space for a feeder and this gave me the idea of doing something for the birds in our new area. I fed seeds in the previous house we lived in just from the wooden rail, which had a flat top part, so I did not need to build anything extraordinary. But this time, I thought that it would be really nice to observe the birds during feedings from our kitchen window. My family jumped at the idea since we like to do activities that are connected to nature and helping animals. I bought a book with simple carpentry projects for children and we found there a drawing for a very easy open birdfeeder. (“Easy carpentry projects for children” by Jerome E. Leavitt)
I have a friend who is quite a “birder” and who is always keen on building nesting and feeding devices because birds are an important part of our environment. We even saw first hand that the number of mosquitos in his area dropped significantly after we set up several nesting boxes for the local bird population. What a great help and benefit for us as humans and the birds alike! This is an activity I could do with my family to help develop my daughter, teach my daughter care for the environment, and maybe reduce the insects and mosquitoes a bit. What more could I ask?
I hope you download the free activity and get to develop your child’s hands-on skills while supporting the birds around your house.
Skills Developed in this Activity:
Connection to nature and appreciation for birds and the environment:
Empathy and greater compassion for animals
Gross and fine motor skills
Using hand tools safely with proper work practices
Care for the environment and the opportunity to learn more about birds
Creativity, thinking skills, and hands-on problem solving
Patience and concentration on delicate and gross tasks
Building self-esteem and confidence to complete a hands-on carpentry project
We’d love to see the smiles and fun you get with this activity! You can share them with us on Facebook here!