Little Naturalists Little Naturalists

Migratory Birds - Winter Journey | Art and Stem Project

With the windchill temps reaching -25 degrees today, we were unable to get outside as we normally would, so, we filled our morning with a group art project on our migratory bird friends and their winter journey.

Students used dried popcorn cobs from the garden, wood scraps, foil, dried beans, foam, scraps of paper from our paper making day this past spring, yarn scraps, cotton balls, cuttings from old magazines and their imaginations to create a visual journey of migratory birds in the winter.

We started by discussing what dangers these birds might encounter on their journey and at different stopover sites along the way, and worked on adding those to the board. Next we discussed where we might go if we were birds flying to warmer weather, and created a warm weather world for them. I absolutely love the art that my students create and the thoughtful answers to these big questions!

This STEM project is a great, hands on way to learn about migratory birds and their winter journeys, through art.



Materials:

  • Large display board, poster board, or anything you want to use as the base to your project.

  • Glue

  • Scissors

  • Tape

  • Materials for creating the different environments along the birds migration journey

We used:

  • Dried popcorn cobs

  • Wood scrap pieces

  • Foil

  • Dried beans

  • Colored foam craft sheets

  • Scraps of homemade paper

  • Yarn remnants

  • Cotton balls

  • Cuttings from old magazines

You can use anything that you would like that you have around the house or in your recycling bins!



Instructions:

  • Discuss with your child why birds migrate and when. Reading children’s books on migration is a great way to introduce the topic and get kids excited about engaging.

  • Ask, “What are some possible dangers migratory birds might encounter in the different environments and places along the way?” Records their answers on a sheet of paper to refer to later

  • Ask “If you were a migratory bird, where would you fly for the winter?” and record these answers to set aside for later

  • Once you are ready, gather your materials

  • Revisit your answers to the questions presented

  • Work with your child to create the environments and dangers (that the birds may encounter) that were previously discussed. Have fun with this and get creative! We created a city (which reflects where we live and where my students go to school), using cotton balls for snow, the wood scraps to make buildings for our city, yarn remnants for telephone lines, and the scrap pieces of homemade paper for clouds. Next we created a river and woods reflected wild and natural environments and the different dangers for the birds there. Students glues dried beans for the shores, foil for water, corn cobs for cattails, and foam board for the trees.

  • Once we created a visual landscape for the birds journey, we added our questions and answers from the day to our board.

  • Hang your beautiful new piece of art, If you have a place to hang it, and tag us in your creations @littlenaturalistsmn



Read More