Reuniting Children w/ Nature - Bird Nests

This activity is part of a series of low cost, hands on activities that can be used by anyone who has a passion for nature and who believes that a child's time spent in nature is not only important, but necessary.  Each activity was either created by me or gathered from a variety of sources.

MATERIALS:
Natural materials (sticks, blades of grass, leaves, etc.), string, cotton, lint, yarn, clay, a bowl

TIME FRAME: 
15 - 60 minutes

PROCEDURE:
The adventure in building a birds nest is really in finding the materials and thinking about how you would like your nest to look.  Once you have your materials, you simply need to weave them together in any pattern you’d like to, as long as they hold together in a bowl-like shape.

If you would like to create a bowl shape out of clay first, you can then use the clay to help your materials stick together.  Simply weave your natural materials together on both the inside and outside of the clay bowl to ensure it is fully covered up.

REFLECTION: 
How do you think birds choose where to build their nests?  Do you think humans choose the build their home where they do for the same reasons?  Why or why not?

CONNECTIONS: 

This activity fits perfectly as  an extension to a Nature Walk. Simply carry a bag with you on a walk and collect items as you see them.  Also, don’t forget to be on the look out for birds nests while on your walk!  There are so many different ways to build them!

TIDBITS: 

Did you know that there are approximately 10,000 bird species in the world?  The smallest among them being the Bee Hummingbird (only 5-6 cm long) and the largest being the ostrich which can reach a height of over 9 feet tall!

TIPS & IMAGININGS

• Recycle an old shoe  box and use it to keep your birds nest safe and sound
• Imagine how it might  feel to live up in a tree… the sun filtering through the leaves, the wind blowing past your cheeks, the  squirrels scurrying along the branches...what else might you experience  up there?

It is well known that children have an innate connection to the earth and all of its creatures.  They long to be out in nature, to get their hands dirty, explore and use their imagination.  They know that the earth is ours to take care of, without being told.  They find great joy in watching a lizard run across the steps ahead of them or in seeing a deer munching on the trees.  They love to sow seeds, pull weeds and eat kale.  Children thrive when given the  opportunity to build a Fairy House out of natural materials or hide among the bushes or hang on the branches of a tree.

It is true that nature is dirty, it holds a lot of uncertainties and it is unfamiliar to our urban senses.  It is not, however, something to fear.  One step at a time, we can reestablish our relationship with Nature and in doing so, heal ourselves and our environment. What we should we afraid of is what might happen if we don’t heal our broken relationship with nature.

Whatever it is you're doing today, I hope you're enjoying yourself!

xoxo,

M