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Activity

Building Bird Nests with Nature’s Materials

Learn about different types of bird nests (options include ground nests, tiny nests, large loose nests, tight medium sized tree nests, mud nests, burrows, hanging nests, artistic nests, etc). Build one of these nests using natural materials. For older children or teens, you can increase the challenge by only using chopsticks or tweezers to build the nests to simulate beaks. Consider building the nest life size if your bird was the same size as you. What if the materials used were in a life-size ratio to the weight of a person?

Science Seed

Birds create nests as a safe place to lay eggs and raise their young. Some nests are camouflaged to prevent predators from finding them, and others are placed in areas away from rain and wind. Just like humans build different kinds of houses in different climates, birds create different types of nests based off of their needs and location. For example, Bald Eagle nests can be as big as 10 feet wide and many Swiftlets make their nests out of their own spit!

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earn Badges

Badges can be earned through hands-on experiences within each of the 16 branches of science, or “Science Slices.” You can earn a badge in each branch of science by doing four activities in these categories. We also encourage participants to keep a Nature Journal to record their memories, and to express themselves creatively through writing or drawing after each activity. We recommend that each child (and parent if they’d like) write or draw in a journal after each activity, with expectations of your children that match their age (the goal is self-expression, not perfection).

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join Families in Nature

It is our vision to inspire all families to fall in love with nature and foster the next generation of conservationists. Becoming a member of Families in Nature will give your family the opportunity to have adventures in nature, experience field science, develop as youth conservation leaders, and make memories that will last a lifetime. Memberships are free for everyone.

Who are we?

Families in Nature works to create opportunities for nature connection with the purpose of sparking a deep love and desire to protect, conserve and restore the environment. Our mission is to connect children and their families to nature and to each other through time spent learning, playing, and volunteering outdoors. It is our vision to inspire ALL families to fall in love with nature and foster the next generation of conservationists.

This project was made possible by HEB.