It's a sunny Thursday here in Newton and a PERFECT day for bird watching! Have you been following along with our bird watching tips and activities? Let us know who you've seen flying around your neighborhood!
Today on Zoom we have Charades with Tyler, Choose Your Own Adventure with Jonathan, Show and Tell with Zack, and Drawing Club with Maisa. We also have a new activity, Making Paper Airplanes, with Joe. Have you been wanting to improve your paper airplane making skills? Are you looking for new ways to fold and build? Signup for Joe's Paper Airplane Activity and learn his tips and tricks!
It's Day 04 of Bird Watch Week here on the MRASP Blog and we have a few more activities involving our feathered friends. We have a hanging bird craft, hummingbird nectar, bird poetry, migration game, and a sweet treat! Let's get started . . .
Build a Paper Bird Mobile!
Crafted By Charlotte
Grades: K-5
Group or Individual: Individual
Materials:
-construction paper, scrap paper, scrapbook paper etc.
-scissors
-glue
-string/rope/thread (2 feet)
-black marker (sharpie or other)
-straws/beads (optional)
Steps:
1. Cut about 5-10 circles the size of a cup with mixed colored paper.
2. Using the rest of the paper, cut the same amount of circles using the same mixed paper only a bit smaller.
3. As shown above, pair up the small and big circles with a different color, glue together, and fold in half.
4. Using scraps from the paper you just used, cut small yellow or orange triangles and glue to one end to use as a beak.
5. Cut another, longer triable out of the other colors to make a tail out of.
6. With a black marker, draw a little dot on each side (next to the beak) to be the eye.
7. Finally, carefully use a sewing needle or the tip of your scissors to poke a hole at the top of each bird. Use an adults supervision!! Feed the string or thread through each hole, tying a knot underneath each bird so they don’t slide around! Feel free to add beads or cut up pieces of colorful straws to add extra flair to your mobile!
Hummingbird Nectar
By Courtney, Inspired By Mass Audubon
"Hummingbirds may be some of the smallest birds in the world, but fluttering those tiny wings can be quite a workout. Flapping away at up to 90 beats per second burns up calories fast; to maintain their momentum, hummingbirds need to eat—a lot! To satisfy their speedy metabolisms, these busy birds consume half their body weight in bugs and nectar, feeding every 10-15 minutes and visiting 1,000-2,000 flowers per day.
You can help these hardworking foragers get the nutrients they need by providing them with their favorite post-workout meal—nectar. This hummingbird sweet treat can be made right at home with a few simple ingredients. By filling your feeder with this DIY delight, you can complement nectar-rich plants and watch these beautiful little birds feed and flitter all day."
-Mass Audubon
In Massachusetts the ruby-throated hummingbird returns every spring from their spring migration. With plenty of nectar-bearing flowers about now, they’re definitely back—and they are HUNGRY.
The ruby-throated hummingbird is the only species of hummingbird that breeds in Massachusetts. The males are unmistakable with their bright red throats, while females and juveniles are just as stunning with their glossy, green plumage.
Materials:
• 1/4 cup refined white sugar
[Please do use refined white sugar! Honey can promote dangerous fungal growth, while organic, natural, and raw sugars contain levels of iron that could be harmful. Plain white table sugar is sucrose, which, when mixed with water, very closely mimics the chemical composition of natural nectar.]
• 1 cup boiling water
• Bowl
• Spoon
Steps:
1. Mix sugar and boiling water until sugar is dissolved.
2. Cool and fill feeder.
3. Hang up your feeder outside and wait for the hummingbirds to come.
EKPHRASTIC POETRY CHALLENGE!
By Charlotte
What is ekphrasis? Simply put, ekphrasis engages the poet or poem with some form of visual art. It is most commonly a written response to a piece of [art]work that is not written.
For today’s challenge, we will be reversing ekphrastic poetry by creating a visual response to a written work!
Going along with our theme of bird week, below is a poem about a particular bird you might know, the Woodpecker. Charlotte responded to this poem by creating a piece of art (pictured below) based off how the poem inspired her and what it made her think of! After you read it, you can do the same!
The Woodpecker
By Elizabeth Madox Roberts
The woodpecker pecked out a little round hole
And made him a house in the telephone pole.
One day when I watched he poked out his head,
And he had on a hood and a collar of red.
When the streams of rain pour out of the sky,
And the sparkles of lightning go flashing by,
And the big, big wheels of thunder roll,
He can snuggle back in the telephone pole.
“Play the Migration Game”
In the spirit of bird week, check out this interesting and informational game about bird migration from Smithsonian! Help Wanda, the Wood Thrush make it to her summer home be answering a set of questions about bird migration. Good luck!
Frozen Yogurt Bark
Cooked Up By Meg
Grade Level: All ages
Individual or multiple people: Either!
Ingredients: Be sure to check for allergies!
2 cups of Greek yogurt (substitute for any yogurt if you don’t have it)
3 tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Optional Toppings: chocolate chips, berries, nuts, m&ms, pomegranate seeds
Parchment paper
Mixing bowl
Mixing spoon
Location: Kitchen
Links and resources: https://weelicious.com/frozen-yogurt-bark/
Further instructions or accommodations:
Mix together your yogurt, honey, and vanilla extract
Spread the mixture onto your parchment paper in an even layer
Sprinkle with desired toppings
Freeze overnight. Then break into smaller pieces and enjoy!
We be back tomrorow with recipes, games, and more!
