Spring has definitely sprung! The rain is falling, the flowers are blooming, and the birds are chirping. For STEAM Saturday this week, you and your child can explore the life of birds while testing your engineering skills when you make your own bird nests!
Before building your nests, it’s a good idea to learn more about the birds that make them. Take a walk around your neighborhood and be on the lookout for bird nests. Without touching them (they might contain eggs or baby birds), observe them. What are they made out of? Do the materials come from nature, or are they man-made – or a combination of both? How are the nests structured?
Do some research on birds and nest-building. It helps to choose a particular species of bird so that you can learn all about that bird, how big they build their nests, how large the eggs are, etc. The creator of this project on Science and STEAM Team has found a wonderful resource in the Cornell University All About Birds Site. Here is a link to learn all about Robins!
Now, it’s time to build your nests! You may want to change the degree of difficulty for this challenge depending on your child’s age. For younger children, it may be enough to have them build a nest that is a certain size. For older children, the challenge should be to build a nest strong enough to hold three “eggs.” These can be chocolate eggs, stones, or marbles. The eggs must be able to stay in the nest when it is lifted off the table.
Have your child think about the materials he or she will need to build a nest. Provide a bag and head outside so they can gather materials. Once back inside, make sure to set up in an area that is easy to clean, as nest-building can be messy! It’s best to provide your child with a paper plate as a building surface for his or her nest. Have some water handy, as mud may be needed to hold the nest together.
Once your nests are built, dry them overnight. Then, add your eggs and see what happens! Are they strong enough to protect the eggs, or do you need to go back and adjust your design?
Check out the full activity from Science and STEAM Team HERE!
As always, get as creative as you want, and above all, have lots of fun learning together!
We’ll see you right back here next Saturday for another STEAM Saturday activity! Scroll through the rest of our website to learn how Critchlow Adkins is Building Brighter Futures for the children and families we serve!