Welcome back to Summer Wonder at Home Creativity Challenges! Every Monday until August 31, there will be a new challenge for you to build, create, design or discover with your family using materials you have at home.
Summer is a great time of year to go bird watching. Sunny days and warm weather means more food for birds to feed their hungry chicks: berries, seeds and insects, yum! This week's challenge is called Every Bird Needs a Nest. Go on a nature walk with your family in your neighbourhood, then make your own bird's nest using objects you found on your walk. Look around at home for other items you can use to build your nest. Think about these questions:
- A bird's nest must be able to weather the elements. What items did you use to make your nest strong?
- How many eggs could your nest hold? Try using small rocks or toys to represent eggs and guess how many of these objects your nest can hold. Were you right?
- How deep and how large would your nest need to be to keep the eggs safe? Would baby chicks find your nest comfortable? What can you add to keep them safe and warm?
- Could your nest hold together on a windy day? Ask an adult to use a hair dryer to test it. What did you observe?
- Could your nest survive in a rainstorm? Try using a watering can outside to see if your nest collects water or drains it through.
Think back to your walk. What birds did you see or hear? (Why do birds sing, anyway? Find out on the Wonder Wall!) What type of nest do you think they make and where would they build it? No need to peep! Learn more about birds from these books:
A Nest is Noisy by Dianna Hutts Aston and Sylvia Long
Birds: Explore the World of Our Feathered Friends by Jill Bailey
Feathers: Not Just for Flying by Melissa Stewart and Sarah S. Brannen
DK Find Out! Birds by Ben Hoare
We'd love to see what you create! Ask a grown-up to take a picture of your bird’s nest and share it with the Toronto Public Library on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter using the hashtag #TPLSummerWonder.
Try all the other Creativity Challenges:
Design a Dinosaur
Create a Time Machine
Dream Library
Graffiti Prints
Animal Sun Print
Build a Monument
I Remember!
Build a Fort