Things You'll Need:
- Books - Children's - Birds
- Books On How To Care For Birds
- Bird Cages
- Bird-feeder Poles
- Birdbaths
- Birdseeds
- Outside Bird Feeders
- Mild Soap
- Mild Soap
- Pet Bird
- Different Size Feathers
-
Step 1
Compare birds to other animals. Birds have specific characteristics that separate them from the rest of the animal kingdom; they have feathers and most of them fly.
-
Step 2
Read books about birds. Find books at your child's level that explain the anatomy of birds. Talk about the way a bird's body is made so it can fly. Point out the shape of a bird's body and legs.
-
Step 3
Draw attention to the strong muscles in the breast and wings and compare them to the muscles we use to move our bodies. Point out that our strongest muscles are in our legs to help us walk while a bird's strongest muscles are in the wings to help them fly.
-
Step 4
Collect feathers with your child and look at them closely. Look closely at the shapes and sizes of feathers in the wings and tail and compare them to the small feathers that cover a bird's body.
-
Step 5
Point out to your child how the inside of a feather is hollow and explain how that makes feathers very light. Throw a wing or tail feather in the air and watch it spiral to the ground. Throw a down or body feather into the air and see how it just floats.
-
Step 6
Compare the different types of feathers while explaining to your child that the wing and tail feathers help the bird to catch air and fly while the down feathers cover the bird's body to keep it warm.
-
Step 7
Watch birds. If you and your child pay close attention to birds, you will see that they are fast. They eat fast and they fly fast. Birds spend a great deal of time looking for food and eating to supply their bodies with the enormous amount of energy they need to fly.
