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BIRD THEME
CRAFTS:
Birdseed Biscuits
2 cups biscuit baking mix
1/2 cup cold water
2 Tbsp margarine
2 Tbsp sesame seeds
2 Tbsp sunflower seeds
Preheat oven to 425F. Form
a soft dough with baking mix & water. Roll out the dough to 3/4" thickness
& cut it into shapes with cookie cutters. Using a straw, punch a hole
in the top of each cookie. Melt the margarine & brush over dough. Sprinkle
the seeds & nuts onto the dough and press it in FIRMLY with a fork.
Bake for 15-20 min., or until light brown. When cool, thread brightly colored
ribbon through the hole & hang in a tree.
Bird-Feeder Snowman
Materials: Pine cone
stuffed with peanut butter, dates, raisins, chopped apples, cranberries,
red popcorn, sunflower seeds, wild bird seed mix, an old brimmed hat What
to Do: On a bright winter's day, get your Beavers together and have
them work on this "help-the-birds" project for all those birds that stay
in Canada for the winter. You might pick a central spot where your
whole group can work, or split the group into lodges at various spots around
the neighbourhood. Then, when each group is finished, the whole group
can go on a bird-feeder tour. Making a bird-feeder snowman will take
lots of cooperation from your Beavers. First, have them roll a hard,
solid snowball, and have everyone help make it bigger. When the ball
is about 75cm high, roll it to a sunny spot near a tree or bush.
Make two smaller balls of snow for its middle and head and stack the three.
Then give the snowman a face and clothes that will help to feed the birds.
Use a peanut butter-filled pine cone for the nose, dates for the eyes,
a line of raisins for the mouth, and chopped bits of apple for buttons.
The cranberries and red popcorn can individually be strung on a string
to make an edible belt and necklace. Top the snowman with an old
brimmed hat sprinkled with sunflower seeds and a wild bird seed mix.
After he's dressed, give the snowman arms made from thick branches so that
the birds have somewhere to perch as they munch.
Bird Feeder
Use large coffee can with
both ends cut out, then cut a piece of wood that goes just about 1/2 way
up & put in both ends, then hook a piece of wire on the top so you
could hang it. Paint. Send home a Ziploc bag full of bird seed with each
feeder to start them out.
Birds Of A Feather
Things you'll need: Four
Large feathers, Four colors of paint on paper plates, Construction paper,
Small, fluffy, colorful feathers
Let the children use the
feathers to paint a light and airy picture. Remind them that the less paint
they put on their feathers the more feathery the painting will be. When
they are finished painting, let them stick small, fluffy feathers into
the paint.
Bird in a Nest
Make a bird in a birds nest
by giving them half a paper plate, let them add skinny brown rectangles
for twigs. Use some real twigs if you have them, and pieces of string,
and whatever else you may have to glue on plate for the nest. Then either
do a footprint in yellow, add beak, eye and legs, or dip the side of their
hand in yellow (or whatever color their bird is) paint & add finger
print toes, then beak, eye & legs. Glue bird into nest.
Bag Owls
Loosely stuff a bag full
of crumbled newspaper. Bring the top together & fold the two outer
edges in toward the center & glue to form a point. Fold the point down.
Cut eyes & feet from construction paper & glue to the owl. Big
grocery bags will make grandfather owl, small candy bags turn into baby
owls, & all sizes between are the flock.
Chick
Materials: 1 large &
1 small yellow pompon, Orange pipe cleaner, Wiggly eyes, Yellow feathers
Glue pompons together. Cut
two orange pipe cleaner pieces about 2 inches long, twist centers together,
glue on for feet. Cut small beak out of orange pipe cleaner glue to face
& add wiggly eyes. Glue some yellow feathers if you like.
Cheerios Bird Feeder
Materials: Big pipe cleaners
and Cheerios.
Hook one end of pipe cleaner
and have children add Cheerios until 1 inch from top. Bend pipe cleaner
over Cheerios so they will stay on. Make the pipe cleaner with Cheerios
look like a J. Hook over tree limb for birds to enjoy.
Duck Mask
Cut wings on the side of
brown grocery sacks, leaving the top attached. Make a hole for the child's
head. Make a duck beak with orange paper and fold. Let them hold it in
their mouths. Hard to quack though!
Duckies
Trace a duck shape on a
piece of paper and have children glue on different colored feathers onto
the duck.
Duck Fun
Materials: Paper (white
& orange), Pencil or marker, White Kleenex, Googly eyes, Glue
Have the children trace
their foot on paper and cut it out. When they are done,use shredded tissue
and have the children glue it onto the footprint. Add eyes beak and feet
for a cute little duck.
Hand Field Glasses
Cup fingers around the eyes
to eliminate side distractions. Keep thumb and forefinger apart where
they meet at the nose. The forefinger should cover the eyebrow, and
the thumb curve below the eye. Hold the rest of the fingers curved
in front of the forefinger to shade the eye. Have the group practice
making field glasses and looking at objects in the meeting room before
you go on your bird-watching expedition.
Fluffy Birds
Glue 2 popsicle sticks together
to form a cross. Glue real colored or paper feathers onto the cross leaving
the top for a head. Glue paper head on top OR use markers as eyes &
beak.
Flamingo
Materials: 1 large &
1 small pink pompon
Pink & yellow pipe cleaners
Wiggly eyes
Pink feathers
Make legs with about 4"
of pink pipe cleaner. Glue to big pink pompon Cut two 1" pieces of pink
pipe cleaner & twist around bottoms of legs to form feet. Cut one 2"
piece of pink pipe cleaner for neck. Glue between big & small pink
pompon. Cut small piece of yellow pipe cleaner to make beak. Glue beak
& wiggly eyes if you want to use them. Glue two pink feathers on each
side of big pompon.
Handprint Turkey Card
MATERIALS: 1 sheet of white
construction paper per child, labeled, brown, red, orange, green, yellow,
purple paint, red & black markers
DIRECTIONS: Paint the palm
and thumb of the child's hand brown. Then paint each of the fingers a different
color and stamp onto the white construction paper. Place the construction
paper lengthwise. When dry, use markers to draw eyes, feet, and wattle.
Multicolored Turkey Hand
Paint the child's palm brown
and then paint each finger using one color for each finger: red, green,
yellow, and orange. Have child press hand on piece of paper. After the
paint dries you can add the eye, beak, and the wattle (that little red
dangling thing under the beak).
Paint with Feathers
Allow them the freedom to
experiment using either end of the feather.
Penguin Finger Puppets
Use film canisters and cut
the lid in half. Hot glue them to the sides for wings. Finish up by adding
a white foam belly and an orange beak and two googly eyes.
Penguin Shape
Cut out penguin shapes from
black paper. Paint with Epsom Salts diluted in water. It makes the penguin
look frosty.
Paper Bag or Film Canister
Puppets
For the paper bag puppets
you simply use a penguin pattern. For the film container puppet you need:
1 film container per child: black with a black lid, white felt circle cut
to size for the film container wiggle eyes , orange craft foam (cut out
feet and beak)
Directions:
I made these myself with
the hot glue gun. First, cut the lid in half. Cut a circle or oval shape
out of white felt to fit the front of the film container and hot glue it
in place. The wiggle eyes are glued on the top (the hole of the container
is down so the child place it on their fingers.) The beak (orange foam
triangle) is glued under the eyes, and the feet on the bottom. The lid
halves are glued on each side of the container to stick out slightly.
Penguin Costume
Use a grocery bag and orange
construction paper to turn into a penguin! Slit the front of the bag from
top to bottom. Cut a neck hole in the bottom of the bag. Cut wing shaped
flaps in the sides. Color the bag black and white to resemble a penguin.
Form a cone from a triangular piece of orange construction paper. Staple
it together and punch a hole in each side. Tie a 12 inch piece of string
through each hole. Place the cone over your nose like a beak and tie the
strings together at the back of your head. Now put on the bag and have
a Penguin Parade!
Paper Plate Duck
Materials needed: Paper
plates, preferably the small white ones, yellow paint, or yellow crayons,
some yellow feathers, orange felt, jiggle eyes
Let the kids paint the plate
yellow, and let dry. Fold plate in half with the folded edge as the top.
Cut out round circles for duck head, glue onto one end of plate, sticking
it slightly inside plate near fold. Use one yellow feather on each side
of plate for wings, cut out small triangle orange felt shapes, for the
beak with rest of felt, cut out web feet for the duck. Place on head the
jiggle eyes.
Penguin
Materials: 6" X 9" white
and black construction paper, one of each per child
Black and yellow markers,
Scissors, Glue or stapler
What to do: Trace the child's
shoe on the white paper and have the child cut out, helping if necessary.
This will be Penguin's body. Fold the black paper in half so it measures
6 X 4.5". Trace the child's hand with wrist on the fold. Cut out. these
will be the wings. Glue or staple the black wings (folded lengthwise) around
the penguins body on each side (kinda over the top of the head and down
the sides). Draw eyes and beak with black and yellow markers.
More to do: Glue the penguin
on blue paper and use finger tips to print with white paint to create snow
all around the penguin.
Pine cone Turkey
Slip pieces of construction
paper into the pine cone for feathers. Make the head out of a twisted piece
of pipe cleaner. Mount pine cone on its side in a small mound of clay.
Paper Turkeys
Make Turkeys out of stuffed
paper bags, Children paint and decorate with feathers ( construction paper
or real)
Paper Plate Penguins
Color or sponge paint the
head and flippers black, the feet and beak orange-yellow, and the bow tie
any color or design. Cut out these pieces. Glue the head to the back of
a six inch paper plate. Glue the flippers near the head, before attaching
the feet. Attach the beak and two eye cutouts. Glue on the bow tie cutout.
Use a black crayon to color a narrow strip around the exposed plate rim
except where it meets the penguins feet. These penguins make an eye catching
bulletin board when they are stacked in a pyramid configuration.
Quacking Duck
Use yellow plastic solo
cups. Decorate to look like a duck, cup is upside down. Teacher pokes a
small hole in the bottom of the cup. Thread a piece of string through the
hole and have it dangle out the bottom of the cup. Knot the top so string
will stay. String needs to hang down 8 or 10 inches. tie a small piece
of sponge on the end of the string. To make the duck "quack," moisten the
sponge and use the sponge to grab the string, then jerk the sponge pulling
it down the string.
Robin Eggs
Paint on egg shaped easel
paper with blue tempera paint that has sand added. These make pretty robin
eggs.
Rainbow Birds
Materials: Newspaper, scissors,
1 paper plate, paints, paint brushes,glitter (optional), Stickers (optional),
white glue,1 six inch piece of pipe cleaner, tape, 2 cut out circles one
bigger than the other (smaller circle is head)
1) Cover your work area
with newspaper. To make the bird tail, cut a 6 inch circle out of a paper
plate or use a 6 inch paper plate. Cut a narrow strip off the bottom of
the paper circle. Paint the paper circle. or decorate with glitter or stickers.
2) Glue the bird Head to
the bird body ( little circle on top of big circle) Glue the bod to the
bird tail. Make face any way you want.
3) For the legs and feet,
fold the pipe cleaner in half. Bend each end of the pipe cleaner out about
3/4 inch. Tape the feet to the back of the bird body. Adjust the feet so
your Rainbow bird will stand up. (The bird should look like a Peacock or
turkey)
Swimming Duck
Material: yellow, blue,
white and orange construction paper, scissors and paste
Trace around 1 hand on white
paper, cut it out. Cut out a yellow duck body and yellow duck head, orange
feet and an orange bill. Glue them on blue paper - using the hand print
sideways as the ducks wings. Draw an eye on the duck and water lines around
the duck.
Splendid Swan
Materials: white and blue
tempera paint, blue construction paper, flat paintbrush
orange and black felt-tip
markers, small sponge, newspaper
Directions: 1. Spread newspaper
over the work area.
2. Paint inside of palm,
fingers, and thumb with white paint.
3. With fingers together
and thumb at a right angle, make a print in the center of a sheet of blue
construction paper (thumb pointing up).
4. Make a small dot in the
center of the thumb print wit a black marker.
5. Use an orange marker
to draw a beak near the top of the thumb print.
6. Dip sponge in blue paint
squeeze it dry. Dab blue water around the swan.
Present this as a follow-up
activity after reading "The Ugly Duckling." Help each child write one thing
that makes him or her special below the swan print. Display the picture
with the title "I'm a Splendid Swan!"
Shredded Wheat Nests
Materials: Large shredded
wheat biscuits, glue or maybe marshmallow glue and candy eggs
Activity: For each child
crumble one large shredded wheat biscuit into a bowl. Add 1/4 cup white
glue or melted marshmallow. Help the child pile the mixture on top of a
plastic lid. Let child shape into a nest and add the eggs.
Squawking Toucan Beaks
Provide each child with
a snow cone cup. (cone-shaped) Let them decorate their "beaks" with colorful
markers. Allow them to spend some time on this project. You may want to
hang some colorful pictures of real toucans near the table to show how
colorful toucans are. Use a hole punch to make a hole on each side and
tie a piece of yarn to each side to hold the beak onto the child's face.
This is My Turkey
Materials: large sheet of
construction paper (17''x11''), brown construction paper cut into shape
of turkey's head & feet, photocopies of the poem "This is my Turkey"
(below), small paper plates, brown paint & brushes, smocks, scissors,
manila paper, felt pens or crayons
glue or glue sticks
Procedure: Trace and cut
out children's hand prints on manila paper. Children color hand prints,
paint paper plate, and then glue turkey head & feet, hand prints (turkey's
tail feathers) and paper plates (turkey's body)onto large sheet of construction
paper. Children can glue poem onto construction paper and then color the
paper.
Turkey Feathers
MATERIALS: 1 coffee filter
per child, 1 turkey shape cut out of brown construction paper
markers, glue
DIRECTIONS: Have children
flatten coffee filters and color them with markers. Help children fold
and tape their decorated coffee filters to the back of the turkey shape
for feathers.
Turkey Plate
Have your child paint a
paper plate with lots of different colors, or have them sponge paint all
over the plate. Let the plate dry. Cut out a brown construction pear shape
to resemble the body of a turkey. Cut out a yellow triangle and red teardrop
shape to form the beak, and punch out two black "eyes" with a hole punch
out of black paper. Have the child assemble the turkey and then glue onto
the plate as the turkey's feathers.
GAMES & ACTIVITIES:
Animal Tails
Children can have a lot
of fun with the idea while they learn that every creature is specially
adapted to its environment and function. Read this poem to the kids
and then ask them to come up with some funny-looking animals by mixing
characteristics from different species. Have the kids draw colourful
pictures of their imaginary animals and hang them up around your meeting
hall where everyone can enjoy the results.
The beaver longed to have
a tail not quite so short and flat.
The spider monkey swapped
with him; it didn't stop with that!
The animals ALL joined the
fun and swapped their tails around.
They thought a tail was
just a tail, but this is what they found:
The beaver dangled overhead
and gnawed the tree in two,
He felt quite silly when
he fell, and why not--wouldn't you?
The monkey with a beaver's
tail could never climb a tree,
So fruit and eggs were out
of reach, while he watched hungrily.
The robin with a squirrel's
tail could hop but couldn't fly,
For feathers and not fluffy
fur keep robins in the sky.
The lion took the robin's
tail and put it to the test;
He tries to soar, gave one
loud roar, and landed in a nest.
The skunk put on the lion's
tail and carried it with pride;
The beasts all thought it
was a joke and laughed until they cried.
The squirrel chose the skunk's
fine tail, and when the air had cleared,
He tried to show it to his
friends, but they had disappeared.
Some animals were hungry,
cold, and some got scared and hid;
But in the end, they worked
it out. Do you know what they did?
Each animal took back his
tail and, having done so, each
Had learned a simple lesson
that mistakes can sometimes teach:
"The tail I took just couldn't
seem to do as it was told,
And now I wouldn't swap
my own for one made out of gold!"
A Bird-Watching
Materials: None What
to Do: As the weather improves, prime your group for a bird-watching
meeting. Have them practice making hand field glasses (see below)
and remind them to look for nests. Even if you don't want to take
the group very far, a walk around the neighbourhood will probably turn
up one or two birds, some nests, bird feeders, and maybe a birdbath. Make
Nest Makers for your neighbourhood.
Bird
Migration
Some
birds food sources are harder to find as winter nears. In northern
climates, observe birds that are seen. Record sightings to keep track
so birds that stay for winter and those that had for warmer climates.
In warmer climates, look for flocks of newly arrived in birds, those that
are not usually seen all year. Observe the patterns are flocks of
birds in the sky as the flight together. Most shorebirds, waterbirds
and insect eating birds migrate along the north and south fly ways.
Can any flocks be seen landing in trees? Do they stay long?
What sounds can be heard? What seeds, berries or insects are the
new birds eating? Near water, look for birds drinking or bathing.
Bird Exploration
Where do birds fit into
the forest food chain? Who eats them?
When you see bird nests
(or signs of owl roosts), look carefully on the ground underneath to see
if you can find pellets coughed up by the birds. The pellets contain undigested
food. You can safely pick up the dry pellets; just make sure you wash your
hands when finished. Set up a "pellet exploration table" somewhere near
your path, or explore the pellets at your next meeting. Materials: a screw-top
jar, water, dish washing liquid, tweezers, paper towel, a sieve, and a
bird pellet.
What to do: Half fill the
jar with water and add a drop of dishwashing liquid. Put the pellet into
the water and screw the lid on tightly. Shake the jar for about 30 seconds
and let it stand a few minutes. Shake it again. The dishwashing liquid
will enable the water to soak into the pellet so it will fall apart. Pour
the contents into the sieve when the pellet has disintegrated. Carefully
pick out all the bits and pieces with tweezers, and put them on a piece
of paper towel. (Make sure Beavers also get a chance to do some of the
picking.) In an owl pellet you will find tiny bones, perhaps even skulls,
bits of fur and teeth from small animals the owl has eaten. In other bird
pellets, you'll find insect fragments, hard indigestible seeds, and in
the case of shore birds, bits of broken shells and fish bones. If you want
to keep these as a reminder of your forest visit, glue them onto a piece
of coloured Bristol board, date each object, and note the nature of the
outing. Glue this onto a larger piece of cardboard, together with photos
from the outing. It will create a small group mural.
Birds of a Feather
Materials: A few samples
of feathers from different birds (seagull, chicken, budgie, etc.)What to
Do: Show the group the different feathers and have them compare and
contrast the sizes, colours, and shapes. Explain that birds usually
have two kinds of feathers on them: soft feathers close to their
bodies to keep them warm and stiff outer feathers to help them fly.
Have the kids fly around imitating the various wing movements of birds.
For instance, birds flap their wings to fly, glide by spreading their wings,
and hummingbirds move their wings rapidly in order to hover over flowers.
Bluebird, Bluebird
Children join hands &
stand in circle. Construct one bluebird necklace out of construction paper.
One child is first bluebird & weaves in & out of children's arms
while chanting (3 times) Bluebird, bluebird through my window. Who will
be the next bluebird? That child then choose someone who has not had a
turn to be the next bird & that child wears necklace. Play until everyone
has a turn.
Bird Calls
Ask the children if anybody
knows how to sound like a bird. Let them try one by one. They should be
able to do a chicken, a turkey, a song bird, a baby chick. Let them think
of others. Variation: Let the children come up one at a time & make
a bird call. Let the rest of the children try to guess what kind of bird
they are.
Bird
Watching
On
a rainy day have the kids watch birds. Tell them to notice what the
water drops do when it hits the bird. Why? How does a bird
hold its wings and tail when it's raining hard? Have you noticed
that the feathers overlap. Have a sample of a feather for the kids
to study. Explain the three main parts of feather: the quill, flat
barbs and the soft fluff at the base. Explain that the fluff that
is close to the body acts as a warm underclothing. How does the feather
feel?
Birds
And Their Peaks
Take
out bird walk and have the kids take special notice of the various peaks
on the different birds. Notice what the beaks are being used for.
Have a list or tape record the various of ways. See if you can find
examples of; eating, gathering, Nest material, meetings nest sites, feeding
babies, pruning or smoothing their feathers, oiling their feathers after
a rain, or using them for a weapon either for defense or attack.
Can you hear any noise is the beaks might be making?
Cracking Eggs
All birds are hatched from
eggs so give the children a quick lesson in cracking eggs. After you have
shown how to crack an egg, let each child try cracking one of their own.
Children love cracking eggs & rarely get to do it. You can use the
cracked eggs to make scrambled eggs for snack.
Duck Watching
Go to a duck pond and see
the ducks. Ducklings generally arrive in May.
Duck, Duck, Goose
Children sitting in a circle.
One child walks around the circle touching each child on the head saying
saying, "Duck, duck..." The child chooses a person and says "Goose." That
child gets up and chases the other around the circle back to his/her spot
where the first child sits down. The second child begins the game again.
Find the Egg Game
Teacher hides an egg while
one child covers their eyes or goes out of the room. This child is the
Parent Duck. The Parent duck tries to find the egg. All the ducklings (other
children) quack softly and more and more loudly as Parent gets closer to
where the egg is hidden, When the egg is found choose another Parent Duck
and repeat.
Fun with Penguins
Make penguin costumes from
black and white bulletin board paper (like a large black collar that slips
over the head with a white oval on front) and orange beak headbands from
poster board. Cover several small white boxes with white paper to be ice
bergs. Place them around on the carpet. Then take a rocking' boat and turn
it over on the step side, cover it with white paper to be the ice cliff,
and place it at the front of the carpet. As the music plays, the children
climb the steps, dive off into the water, and swim around the ice bergs
gobbling up fish.
Go Egg
Cut 10 egg shapes from white
construction paper. Decorate eggs then cut them into halves varying the
cut pattern (zig zag, wavy, straight,etc.). Glue one half of a set into
a folder. Have the children match the halves.
How Many Penguins
You'll need: black ink pad,
crayons, white paper. Fold the paper into six sections. Write a number
from one to six in each section. Ask the children to put as many thumb
prints in each section as the number asks for. Use crayons to turn the
thumb print into a penguin. Now practice counting aloud. Hold a number
card aloft and work cooperatively to form rookeries (penguin living group)
containing that number. Be seated and create a rookery of a different number.
Listening
for Chirping Birds
Listen
for birds at different times of the day. Do you hear bird troops
and calls more at certain times of the day? Use your recorder to
tape bird calls and songs. How can the calls be described?
Are they allowed, high, chirping, calling, or whistling? Loki at
bird making calls let the kids try to imitate calls to have the bird respond.
Listen to the tape. Try to describe the bird that made each call
you record it. Have they kids tell about the birds by size, color,
location and how it moved.
Learn
About a Bird
Have
the children think of a bird they would like to know more about.
Choose one is not normally seen by them, such as an owl, he ego or a seaside
bird. Obtain and mounted specimen from the museums low department,
or invite a handler to bring a life bird to the children. A trip
can be taken to a zoo, pet store or museum to observe birds either alive
or mounted and shown in natural settings. Investigations and observations
will depend of the species of the bird and whether it is alive or mounted.
Look for outer feathers, soft down their body; shape of peak, claws, eyes;
shape and color. Listen for calls. Look at wings spread.
Compare size to yourself, other birds.
Missing Duck Eggs
Put on grass, one egg per
child. The children squat down, tucking hands under armpits, as ducks.
Have a home base, a nest for the eggs to be returned to. As a duck they
cannot use their hands to pick them up but must find other ways to get
the egg back to the nest. Kick it with their foot, without standing up,
or butting it with head, First one to get a egg back to the nest, is the
winner.
Messy Table
Fill a couple of large tubs
with wild bird seed. Provide the children with funnels, measuring cups,
measuring spoons, bowls etc. Spend some time at the table talking with
the children about measurements. "How many quarter cups will it take to
fill up this cup?" "How many teaspoons are there in this quarter cup? Let's
count them." Let them count and measure, pour & stir.
Numbers
Make a chain of 10 turkeys,
10 days before Thanksgiving. Scotch tape together, one below the other
and remove one turkey each day until Thanksgiving.
Owl Prowl
The Owl Prowl is an outdoor
event usually held in late October or early November. To prepare for this
evening, make from cardboard enough owl shapes for each child in the group.
Paint the owls with fluorescent paint or attach fluorescent tape to the
owls. On the day of the Prowl, take the owls to your local park or playground
and hide them in various locations. Each child should come to the event
with a flashlight. Set the childs loose in the park or playground with
their flashlights to find the owls. After all owls have been found, have
a hot chocolate and cookie break. Have the older kids make maps to the
owls and have them help the childs follow the maps to their owls.
Penguins on the Move
Ask the children to waddle,
jump, slip, slide and dive like penguins. Be sure to allow plenty of space
for them to move around freely and safely. (You may want to use a large
floor mat for protection.)
Penguin Waddle Relay
Divide the class into 2
teams. place half of each team behind lines 6 to 8 yards apart. Place a
6 to 8 inch rubber ball between the knees of the first two people in line
and watch them waddle like penguins to give the ball to their teammates
behind the opposite line. The teammates then carry the balls back to the
starting line and the waddling continues until everyone has had a turn.
If the ball is dropped, the penguin must goback to his/her starting point
and begin again. The winning penguins are the ones that can waddle the
fastest without losing the ball.
Penguin Day
Ask your students to come
to school wearing black and white.
Penguin's Life on Ice
You'll need: large pan of
frozen water, small items from classroom such as blocks, crayon, and pencil.
Talk about where penguins live and the type of climate they need to survive.
Show children the pan filled with ice. Let them try to move the blocks
and other small items around on the ice so they can feel the cold the penguins
need to survive. Slide the items across the ice then across the desk, carpet
and other surfaces. Compare the results.
Penguin Habitat
Buy some little rubber penguins
at a nature store and fill a 9x13 pan with snow and build a penguin habitat.
Build nests out of rocks (pebbles). The really do make their nests out
of rocks.
Penguin Central
On white construction paper,
photocopy a penguin. Color, laminate, and cut out each penguin. Label each
penguin belly with a number. Provide fish-shaped crackers for students
to use in this center. To use the center, a student places the penguin
cards face up and places the corresponding number of fish shaped crackers
on each penguin belly.
Scooting Penguins
Lie down on your stomachs
on scooter boards and pretend to be penguins sledding along the ice.
The Turkey Dance
(done to the German Folk
Song- The Chicken Dance)
Find a recording of the
Chicken Dance and have the children pretend to be turkeys. Teach the children
the movements: Make your hands like they are "talking" 4 times.
Pretend to "flap" your wings
4 times.
Wiggle your bottom 4 times.
Clap four times.
Continue until you are tired
out or the music stops.
~~~Which ever comes first!
Turkey Strut
Use masking tape to make
turkey footprints on the floor. Put the footprints all over the room. Play
a tape of the song "Turkey in the Straw" or some other farm music. Invite
the children to act like turkeys, strutting around the room and gobbling
as the music plays. When the music stops, the turkeys must quickly find
a pair of turkey prints on which to stand. When the music resumes, the
turkeys strut around the room again. If you wish, play this game as you
would musical chairs, removing a set of prints each time the music stops.
Turkey Wobble
Play music of your choice
and encourage the children to move like:
BIG turkeys
Little turkeys
Tired turkeys
Happy turkeys
Scared turkeys
Etc.
Turkey Talk
Choose two children to be
turkeys. Have them go to the center of the circle. Recite, with the other
children, the poem below. When the poem is done, encourage the two "turkeys"
to chat with each other in turkey talk.
Two turkeys went out to
play
On one fine sunny day.
When they got together,
This is what they had to
say!
Turkey Strut
Use pieces of masking tape
to make turkey footprints all over the floor. Start playing some music.
Let the children pretend to be turkeys and strut around the room. When
you stop the music, have the turkeys find footprints to stand on (one turkey
to a footprint). When you start the music again, have the turkeys continue
strutting around the room.
What
Makes Birds Fly? birds
Throw
some birdseed near a place where you have seen birds. Stay at distance
away so birds will visit this area to feet. Do this to get birds
to land for your observations. Look for wings and tail feathers that
are out reached. Can the overlapping feathers be seen? Nice
catch the air on the wings and help the bird land on the tail. Watch
the wings move. How does the birds take off? I observe lying.
What movements can be seen as a land? Find a tail or wing feather.
In that light or heavy? Can it then? I obtained cleaned leg
and wing bones from a roasted chicken. By these bones late or heavy.
Cut in half. Are the bones hollow? Compare to a cooked meat
bone from an animal that does not fly. But that animal fly?
Too late bones and feathers help the birds fly?
SONGS:
Birds Fly High
(Sung to 'Twinkle, Twinkle
Little Star' )
Birds fly high and bees
fly low,
Caterpillars crawl and rivers
flow,
Cats meow and cows go 'moo'.
Puppies bark and babies
'coo'.
So many things to see and
hear,
I use my eyes and I use
my ears.
Chicken
Chicken, chicken, you can't
cluck too much for me.
Chicken, chicken, now come
down off of that tree.
Chicken, chicken, chicken,
you can't cluck too much for me.
"C" is for the little chick
"H" for the mamma hen
"I" cause I love that bird
"C" for the cluck, cluck
"K" for the Kackle, Kackle
"E" and the little "N"
C-H-I-C-K-E-N
That's the way to spell
chicken
That's my friend the chicken.
Five Turkeys In A Tree
Five fat turkeys are we.
We slept all night in a
tree.
When the cook came around,
We couldn't be found,
That's why we're here, you
see.
Five and five eggs
Five and five eggs
(Hold up hands )
That makes ten
Sitting on top is mother
hen
(Fold one hand over the
other )
Crackle crackle crackle
(Clap hands three times
)
What do I see
(Fingers around eyes )
Ten fluffy chickens
As yellow as can be
(Hold up ten fingers.)
Five Little Birds
- poem
Five little birds in a nest
in a tree
(hold up right hand)
Are just hungry as can be
"Peep", said baby bird number
one
(wiggle one finger)
Mother bird promised she
would come
"Peep, Peep", said baby
bird number two,
If she doesn't come what
will we do?
"Peep, Peep, Peep", said
baby bird number three,
I hope she can find this
tree.
"Peep, Peep, Peep, Peep",
said baby bird number four,
She never was so late before.
"Peep, Peep, Peep, Peep,
Peep", said baby bird number five,
When will our mother bird
arrive?
Well, here she comes to
feed her family
(use left hand as mommy
bird)
They're all as happy as
can be!
Five little Ducks
Five little ducks, went
out to play (hold up five fingers)
over the hills, and far
away, (hold hand to eyebrows)
When the mother duck went
"Quack Quack Quack"
(motion "quack" with your
hand)
Four little Ducks came waddling
back.
(make wings with arms and
move elbows up and down)
Continue to count down until
there are no little ducks then sing:
No little ducks went out
to play,
Over the hills and far away,
When the father duck went
"QUACK, QUACK, QUACK",
Five little ducks came waddling
back.
Five Fat Turkeys
Five fat turkeys were sitting
on a fence.
The first one said, "I'm
so immense."
The second one said, ""I
can gobble at you."
The third one said, "I can
gobble too."
The fourth one said, "I
can spread my tail."
The fifth one said, "Don't
catch it on a nail."
A farmer came along and
stopped to say
"Turkeys look best on Thanksgiving
Day."
Variation on last two lines:
Out came the cook with a
great big pan
Away flew the turkeys, their
tails in a fan.
Gobble, Gobble
A turkey is a funny bird,
His head goes wobble, wobble.
And he knows just one word,
Gobble, gobble, gobble.
I'm A Little Turkey
(tune of I'm a little Teapot)
I'm a little turkey; I like
to play,
I'm very hungry; I eat all
day.
When I see the hunter with
his gun,
Then I know it's time to
run.
I'm A Little Penguin
(Tune: I'm a Little Teapot)
I'm a little penguin
On the ice.
I think cold is very nice.
I can hop around first once,
then twice,
I think ice is very nice.
I'm A Duck
(Sung to : "Frere Jacques"
)
I'm a duck, I'm a duck,
Watch me waddle, watch me
waddle.
Hear me when I talk,
Hear me when I talk.
Quack, quack, quack; quack,
quack, quack.
I Had A Little Rooster
I had a little rooster by
the old barn gate
And that little rooster
was my playmate
And that little rooster
went cock-a-doodle-doo
Dee-doodley-doodley-doodley-do
(substitute other animals)
Little White Duck
There's a little white duck
(quack)
Sitting' in the water
There's a little white duck
(quack)
Doing what he oughter.
He took a bite of the lily
pad
Flapped his wings &
he said,
"I'm glad, I'm a little
white duck
Sitting' in the water."
(Quack, quack, quack)
Mr. Turkey
Tune: Frere Jacques
Mr. Turkey, Mr. Turkey
Run away, run away.
If you are not careful,
You will be a mouthful,
Thanksgiving Day, Thanksgiving
Day!
Mr. Turkey Gobbler
Mr. Turkey Gobbler, wobbling
all around,
He gobbles here, he gobbles
there, it's such a funny sound.
He spreads his tail into
a fan, and acts like he is mad,
But I like Mr. Gobbler,
he really isn't mad.
My Turkey
(As you recite the poem
below, have the children act out the movements described.)
I have a turkey, big and
fat.
He spreads his wings
And walks like that.
His daily corn he would
not miss,
And when he talks he sounds
like this
Gobble, gobble, gobble.
Run Fast Little Turkey
Act out the following with
your children:
The brave little Pilgrim
Went out in the wood
Looking for a meal
That would taste really
good.
First she/he picked cranberries
Out in the bog.
Then she saw a turkey
Hiding in a log.
Run fast little turkey.
Run fast as you may.
Or you will come to dinner
On Thanksgiving Day!
Six little Ducks
Six little ducks
That I once knew
Fat ones, skinny ones,
Fair ones, too
But the one little duck
With the feather on his
back
He led the others
With a quack, quack, quack
Quack, quack, quack,
Quack, quack, quack
He led the others
With a quack, quack, quack
Down to the river
They would go
Wibble, wobble, wibble,
wobble,
To and fro
But the one little duck
With the feather on his
back
He led the others
With a quack, quack, quack
Quack, quack, quack,
Quack, quack, quack
He led the others
With a quack, quack, quack
Back from the river
They would come
Wibble, wobble, wibble,
wobble,
Ho, hum, hum
But the one little duck
With the feather on his
back
He led the others
With a quack, quack, quack
Quack, quack, quack,
Quack, quack, quack
He led the others
With a quack, quack, quack
Swans In The Park
(Tune:"Rock-A-Bye baby")
Swans glide across the pond
in the park,
With feathers so white and
beaks that are dark.
They spread out there wings
and take to the air.
The swans fly away, but
I don't know where.
Turkey in the Barnyard
Turkey in the barnyard,
what does he say?
Gobble, gobble, gobble all
day.
Turkey on the table, what
do you say?
Yummy, yummy, yummy all
day.
Turkey in my tummy, what
do I say?
I ate too much turkey on
Thanksgiving Day!
(hold your hand on your
belly and make a pained face...the kids love this!)
This is My Turkey
This is my turkey
You know what s/he can do?
S/he can spread his tail
And wave at you!
Three Little Birds
Don't worry 'bout a thing,
'Cause every little thing's
gonna be all right.
Singing don't worry 'bout
a thing,
'Cause every little thing's
gonna be all right.
Rise up this morning, smile
with the rising' sun.
Three little birds sit by
my doorstep singing sweet songs,
A melody sweet and pure,
sing,
This is my message to you.
The Little Ducklings
All the little ducklings
Line up in a row.
(Stand up)
Quack, quack, quack,
And away they go.
(Hands and thumbs together
with both hands)
They follow their mother,
(put hands behind as a tail
waddle
Waddling to and fro.
Quack, quack, quack
And away they go.
(repeat above)
Down to the big pond
Happy as can be. (smile)
Quack, quack, quack
They are full of glee. (repeat)
They jump in the water
(jump up and down)
And bob up and down,
Quack, quack, quack,
they swim all around.
(repeat)
All the little ducklings
(swimming motion)
Swimming far away.
Quack, quack, quack,
They'll play another day.(repeat)
The Chickadee Song
(Fly your fingers away one
by one as you sing this song)
Chorus:
Chickadee, chickadee, happy
and gay
Chickadee, chickadee, fly
away.
Five little chickadees,
no room for more,
One flew away, and then
there were four.
Four little chickadees,
sitting in a tree,
One flew away, and then
there were three.
Three little chickadees,
don't know what to do,
One flew away, and then
there were two.
Two little chickadees, sitting
in the sun,
One flew away, then there
was one.
One little chickadee, can't
have any fun.
He flew away, and then there
were none.
Two Little Blackbirds
Two little blackbirds
Sitting on a wall;
One named Peter,
The other named Paul.
Fly away Peter!
Fly away Paul!
Come back Peter!
Come back Paul!
Three Little Penguins
Three little penguins dressed
in white and black.
Waddle, waddle forward and
waddle right back!
Three little penguins, in
a funny pose,
They are wearing their evening
clothes.
Their suits are black and
their vests are white,
They waddle to the left
and they waddle to the right.
They stand on the ice and
they look very neat,
As they waddle along on
their little flat feet.
WHOOPing Jays
Make
sure the WHOOP is long and exaggerated every time!
The
leader should recite each line and have the group repeat it.
Way down yonder, not so
very far off,
A blue jay died of the WHOOPing
cough;
He WHOOPed so hard with
the WHOOPing cough
that he WHOOPed his head
and his tail right off!
Same song, second verse,
a little bit louder and a little bit worse!(REPEAT VERSE)
Same song, third verse,
a little bit louder and a little bit worse!(REPEAT VERSE)
Same song, last verse, a
whole lot louder and a whole lot worse!!
STORIES:
Have any good stories? Let
us know!
FOOD SUGGESTIONS:
Bird nests
Needed: Pretzel sticks,
Chocolate chips, Jelly beans, Waxed paper
Directions: Give each child
a piece of waxed paper & a few pretzel sticks. Have them arrange their
sticks into a nest. In the meantime, melt chocolate chips. Drizzle melted
chocolate over pretzel stick nests. When chocolate cools, place jelly beans
on nests.
Fruity Nest to Nibble
Ingredients: mixing bowl,
2 lg shredded wheat biscuits, measuring cups & spoons
1/4 cup coconut, 1 Tbsp.
brown sugar, 1/4 cup margarine or butter (melted), Muffin tin
Foil, Fruit or jelly beans
1) To make the nests, in
a mixing bowl crumble shredded wheat biscuits with your fingers. Use a
spoon to stir in coconut and sugar. With adult help, pour in the melted
margarine. Stir everything together.
2) Line each of the 6 muffin
cups with a piece of foil. Press the shredded wheat mixture onto the bottoms
& up the sides of the foil-lined cups. With adult help, bake in 350
oven about 10 minutes or till crisp. Cool the nests in the cups.
3) Remove the nests from
cups by lifting up on the foil. Carefully peel the foil off nests. Fill
the nest with fruity bird eggs. If desired, top the fruit with a spoonful
of yogurt.
Penguin Snack
1 slice of bread per child,
spread cream cheese over top. Use 1/2 black olives for eyes (or raisins),
wedge of carrot for beak, chopped black olives for wings.
Penguin Cookies
Ingredients: 1 chocolate
sandwich cookie per child, 1 chocolate kiss per child
Have students wash their
hands. Give each child a napkin, cookie, and chocolate kiss. They twist
the top off of their cookie and carefully break it in half. They place
the two pieces on top of the bottom half with the icing side up and spread
a little out for wings. Then they place the chocolate kiss at the top for
the penguins head.
Penguin Ice Snack
You'll need: vanilla ice
cream, chocolate sauce, small bowls or cups, spoons, whipped cream. Scoop
some ice cream into a bowl and let the children add their own black and
white toppings. Stop eating- if you can- and feel the cold sensation in
your mouth.
Turkey
Use a prune for body, gumdrops
on toothpicks for the legs. Toothpick with marshmallow for neck and head,
raisin eyes, cupcake paper for tail.
Turkey Dinner
Have a mock (or real if
it's that time of year!) Thanksgiving dinner, complete with dressing, cranberry
sauce, and of course, the turkey! Use the dinner to emphasize how we should
be thankful every day for the things we have in life.
TIPS/NOTES:
Penguin Facts
Penguins:
...do not fly, they hop,
walk, or toboggan
...are expert divers and
swimmers
...have a thick layer of
fat called blubber under skin
...do not build nests. The
female lays egg, males hold egg on the top of their feet, hunches down
so skin covers and warms the egg.
...raise their chicks in
colonies called rookeries
...there may be thousands
of penguins in one rookery
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