In Our Own Backyard....A Mama Hummingbird

Birds are a fun and small creature that most of us can find in our neighborhood or backyard.  Enjoy a few of these simple activities with your little ones for just an afternoon or for a whole thematic week.

Homemade Bird Feeders

Coffee Can Bird Feeder:

Open both ends of the can with a can opener, then use a string to string through both ends of the can.  Tie both ends of the string to hang the feeder when complete. Take the plastic cover of the coffee can and cut it in half. Take each piece and place on each end of the can to hold all of the food in the feeder.  This can be done with any can that has a plastic cover on top.  Fill the feeder with bird seed and bird treats such as corn, apple pieces, cooked rice, berries and dry cereal. Hang the feeder in a place where you can observe the birds enjoying their new hangout!

Peanut Butter Pinecone:

This classic bird feeder is still tons of fun and was always a great one to do with a class or large group like scouts.  If you are with other children make sure no one has peanut allergies, i would choose another activity all together, or use lard or shortening in the place of peanut butter.  choose a pinecone, make a mix of peanut butter and a small amount of oats or cornmeal.  Then roll in bird seed.  With a piece of yarn tie it around the top portion of the pinecone to make a hanger for the bird feeder.

Fruity Treats:

Cut an orange in half.  Use a needle to get yarn through the orange to hang from a branch. This also attracts butterflies!

Other Activities

Bird Watch:

Now that you have made a bird treat, just hang out and observe. Children can sketch, take photographs or take notes in a journal of the experience.

If you have older children you may want to have a field guide to try and identify and learn about birds in your area. (For example: National Audubon Society Field Guide)

Binoculars:

Young children may want to make binoculars out of cardboard tubes to prepare for their bird watching experience.  Get two equal size cardboard tubes, toilet paper tubes or paper towel tubes cut to size. Lay them next to each other and tape together at each end.  choose a side to tie the string or yarn through and punch two holes. Tie a knot at both ends at the hole punch to make a strap to carry the binoculars.  Have the children decorate with markers, stickers or paint. Set off for your next adventure!

Sunsets are such a beautiful picture of color and we often stop to enjoy those moments of nature.  But, what is a sunset?  This simple experiment can help explain this gorgeous mixture of colors in the sky to children.

First ask the question, what is a sunset?

*This could be in a science journal.  Older children can write their answers and younger  children can draw.  Keeping a science journal is not just for the classroom, it can be a great way to document and cherish your child’s thoughts, writing and learning as they grow.

Then, “We are going to make our own sunsets in a glass of milky water.”

You will need:

Glass of water (beaker if you have it)

Milk

Flashlight

Spoon

Experiment:

1. Shine the flashlight through the glass of plain water. Ask, “What does it look like?”  (It looks white, like the sun when it is high in the sky.)

2. Pour a little milk into the glass of water and stir gently until it turns slightly white.  Have the children talk about what is happening.

3.  Ask what will happen when you flash the flashlight through the glass this time? then, Shine the flashlight through the water glass again. Observe, take notes and discuss what they see.  The light looks orange-red, just like the setting sun.

Explain: Particles of milk in the water cut out some of the colors in the light coming from the flashlight. Only the orange and red rays get through.  It is just like the dawn and dusk that we see with the real sun.  When the sun is low in the sky (morning and evening) its light passes through more air than at other times of the day. Tiny particles in the air stop a lot of the sun’s light.  The red and the orange light gets through.

If you are using a science journal (or writing this as a group on a board) write the question will adding milk change the light coming through?  Write your hypothesis and discuss as a group. If there are younger children or children that like to draw they can draw the experiment as it happens.  It would look like a step by step illustration. Complete the experiment and draw a conclusion.  After the results, have each child write if their hypothesis (or guess) was true.  Using this process even with the little ones drawing gets them acquainted with the scientific method.

Have you ever been asked or wondered why the moon shines? This simple demonstration will show children of all ages why the moon shines!  When demonstrating to a child, do not give away any answers…instead ask them questions and let them discover the reason why the moon shines.  This discovery gives them ownership and usually more excitement about learning.  I always try to remember it is all in the presentation and allowing them to discover the answers so they can take ownership of their learning.

You will need:

flashlight

bike reflector

Procedure:

This experiment is done at night time. Point the flashlight at bicycle reflector and then turn it off.

Questions to ask:

What did you notice?

Is the reflector glowing?  (Ask when flashlight is on and off.)

Does the reflector give off light?

How are the moon and reflector the same?

For younger children ask specific questions such as what do you think the flashlight is supposed to be?  (The sun.)  What is the reflector in our activity? (The moon.)

Results:

The reflector only glows when the flashlight is on it.  The reflector, like the moon, does not give off light.  It reflects light  in different directions.  The moon only reflects light from the sun.  Without the sun, there would be no moonlight.

The moon revolves around the earth so sometimes we can see more of the “lit up” side and sometimes we can see less.  This all depends on where the moon is in it’s orbit and how much of the lit up side is facing us.

Cool discovery!

To extend this idea:

Younger children can draw a picture of the moon and if able to write…write a sentence or new fact about the moon.  Also, a perfect night to read “Goodnight Moon” by margeret wise Brown.

Before the experiment:

If you keep a science journal at home have your child or children write the question, “Why does the moon shine?” and then a hypothesis as to why they think the moon shines. If you prefer to discuss the guesses and then have them write down the results. sketching a picture with the journal entry will help the to remember the experiment when reviewing their journal.

Model:

Have children make a model of the Earth, sun and moon. A shoebox would work well for them to hang their models.  Or have them use dough to shape the Earth, moon and sun according to size. (Have them research size so they can have the proportion correct.)

Observe:

Spread out some blankets or chairs on a clear night and just observe the moon. This may lead to more questions, observations and discovery.

Older Children can do more detailed research:

This simple experiment gives a glimpse into the reason as to why the moon shines, have your older kids research more about the moon.

For example, the moon is actually dark and the reflective coat cannot be seen up close.  They can look up about Albedo which is the measure of an object’s reflection of the Sun’s radiation.  There is much to learn and have the older children present their findings.  Allow them to be creative with their presentation.

This fun and easy lesson demonstrates that the stars are always shining!

You will need:

paper hole punch, index card,white letter envelope and a flashlight

Procedure:

Punch about eight holes in the card

stars lesson

Place the index card into the envelope

Hold the envelope in front of you with the flashlight about two inches from the front of of the envelope and over the index card (Do this in a well lit room.)

Do you see the holes?

(The holes in the index card are not seen when the light shines on the front side, away from you.)

Now, move the flashlight behind the envelope, holding the flashlight about two inches from the back of the envelope.

(The holes are now seen when the light comes from behind the envelope and towards you.)

Explanation:

Light passes through the holes no matter where the flashlight is directed, but only when the surrounding area is darker than the light coming through the holes can they be seen. This is true of stars. They shine during the daylight hours, but the sky is bright from the sun’s light so the stars just blend in.  That is why stars are most visible on dark nights and away from city lights.

How is water affected by different objects?

Young Ones:

Use a bath tub crayon or some sort of marker and fill tub with water midway. Have each child enter tub and mark where the water line is after the slushing of the water calms down.  With bathing suits on have the adults participate to really see the difference of the water levels.

Fill a tub or bucket of water outside and have different objects for child to play with using the same skill of watching the water level. Discuss and ask lots of questions and have fun.

First Grade and Up:

You will Need:

Bucket, Glass jar with lid, Water

Fill bucket about three quarters full.

Place empty jar with lid on into the water. Do not push down yet. What happens?

Slowly push to bottom of bucket. Looking at sides of bucket and water line ask, does the water rise, fall or stay the same?

NOW, fill the jar with water and repeat.

Older:

Look into the ancient mathematician/philosopher Archimedes. He discovered the law that the volume of water displaced equals the volume of the object placed in the water.

Both of my children have this fond memory of their grandma and grandpa giving them rock candy.  So, we are attempting to make this week and I found an easy step by step guide on About.com.  It looks like you need to plan a week and can make into a learning experience. I always love science when it involves sugar.

Wish us sweet and sticky luck!

http://candy.about.com/od/phototutorials/ss/sbs_rock_candy.htm

Designing and making snowflakes involves many important  concepts at all ages.  Beyond being fun, children experience shapes, motor skills, following directions, creativity, symmetry and spatial skills.  I was shocked at how many students in my fifth grade class volunteered to help  make snowflakes for a bulletin board, they loved it.  I thought that they would be “over” that!

With my younger children I demonstrate how to make a large snowflake and then they decorate it.  Then, they attempt their own allowing them to explore and discover the world of shapes and symmetry. Please note that the “snowflakes” are truly unique and may not look anything like a snowflake.

A FEW “FLAKEY” IDEAS:

3D Snowflake: For older children and adults, I found this site that teaches “How to Make a 3D Paper Snowflake.”

http://www.wikihow.com/Make-a-3D-Paper-Snowflake

Read A Biography:  Snowflake Bentley stated  “Under the microscope, I found that snowflakes were miracles of beauty; and it seemed a shame that this beauty should not be seen and appreciated by others. Every crystal was a masterpiece of design and no one design was ever repeated., When a snowflake melted, that design was forever lost. Just that much beauty was gone, without leaving any record behind.”   He photographed the first snow crystal and shared that no two snowflakes were the same.

Symmetry: Look for symmetry in nature starting with butterflies, bugs, leaves and bee-hives. For older children,  you may ask them if snowflakes are symmetrical in nature. (The answer is sometimes, the most common snowflakes are not symmetrical.)

The Life of a Snowflake:  This site is for older students to follow the life and growth of a snowflake. Fascinating!

http://www.its.caltech.edu/~atomic/snowcrystals/primer/primer.htm

A simple experiment for children to observe a floating bottle and the effect of adding water to the bottle. Then you can relate this to how a fish floats.

What you will need:

• Sink or tub of water
• Water
• Plastic soda bottle with the top

What to do: 

Fill up sink with water.  Fill up bottle half way with water and screw on top.

Have each child predict what will happen when the bottle is placed in water. Then,  place in water and observe.

Repeat, but fill bottle 3/4 with water.

Were the two outcomes different and why?

After discussing, explain how this information relates to fish (see below.)
How to explain why fish can float or swim in water: 

Buoyancy is a force that causes objects to float in a liquid or to rise in gas or air.  With no water or less water in the bottle, the greater amount of air pressure and so the bottle is MORE buoyant. It floats. Fish can control their buoyancy in almost the same way.  If they allow more air in their swim bladder they will be more buoyant, just like the bottle!

A simple experiment if you live near or visit the ocean.  This is a great summer activity to do with the children and such a simple way to keep them involved in learning.  All you need is a sample of ocean water and a shallow pan.

If you cannot make it to the beach make your own ocean water with salt and water.

First, fill up the pan with the ocean water.

Predict what will happen. 

Wait, wait, wait for the water to evaporate.

After the water has evaporated, taste what is left on the bottom of the pan.

Ask the question, “What do you find in ocean water after it evaporates?” 

How to explain what happened.  Ocean water contains salt, which is a solid.  When the water evaporates, the salt is left behind and leaves a light colored residue on the bottom of the pan.

Get out the globe or map of the world for this fun lesson about the Earth! Discuss the equator and explore where it is and talk about the climate at the equator. Once the discussion is complete, ask why do you think it is hotter at the equator?

You will need: flashlight and white paper with a line drawn in the middle (equator).

1. Put piece of paper on table and turn off the lights in the room.

2. Aim flashlight straight down at paper. Talk about what the children see.

3. Tilt the flashlight and aim at paper. Ask the children what they notice and if it looks different.

When the sun shines on the Earth at the equator, it is more intense, just like the flashlight facing directly straight down. When you move away from the equator, the light is at an angle and therefore cooler (just like the flashlight tilted.)

After discussing the results and exploring on their own have your child or children explain in their own words what happened.