In the middle of winter, it's nice to think about the birds that stay, here in the Northeast. We may see chickadees, crows, blue jays, finches, cardinals, house sparrows, dark-eyed juncos, woodpeckers, nuthatches, titmice...the list goes on! Life isn't easy for the birds this time of year. They need more food to stay strong and healthy through these cold months when snow often covers the seeds, and food is scarce. Our own Cornell Lab of Ornithology has a great website to help you find out how to feed the birds in the winter. Check them out if you'd like advice on feeding them, or just to learn more about the birds we see in the winter time!
We read books about winter birds, and other birds and critters today. Check them out!

No Two Alike by Keith Baker

Mama Built a Little Nest by Jennifer Ward; Ills. by Steve Jenkins

In the Snow by Sharon Phillips Denslow; Ills. by Nancy Tafuri

I just love Keith Baker's No Two Alike! It's charming, the illustrations are adorable, and it makes winter look, well, great! I really love books that do that for me! As well, in the most loving way, it points out how we are all unique. That can feel really great to kids who may sometimes feel invisible, such as members of a large family. (I know, I came from a family of 7 ; ) It can happen!)

Mama Built a Little Nest is about many different kinds of birds and their many different and wonderful nests. So not all are winter birds, but it's fun to share Jennifer Ward's whimsical, rhyming narration, paired with Steve Jenkin's iconic illustration style.

I also like to share Sharon Denslow's In the Snow at least once a winter ; ) Nancy Tafuri's sweet illustrations bring us a child's eye view of sharing with our wild friends during the cold winter months. We jaded adults often look on many of the critters in this book as pests, but they are just trying to live their lives like the rest of us :) I think it's wise to instill compassion in our children for the wild things that share our world. With animal extinctions at the fastest rate ever, we need to grow kids who care about the natural world. Thank goodness for children!

Today we were the birds as we moved to this poem:

The Little Birds

Way up in the sky (Link thumbs and flap your fingers!)

The little birds fly,

While down in the nest (Cup your hands to make a nest!)

The little birds rest.

With a wing on the left (Flap your left wing!)

And a wing on the right (Flap your right wing!)

The little birds sleep

All through the night…(Close your eyes, wings tucked!)

SSHHH! They’re sleeping!

The bright sun comes up, (Make a sun overhead!)

The night falls away…(bring arms down, palms facing up.)

Good morning, good morning!

The little birds say. (Try ASL for birds: tap forefingers and thumbs together like beaks opening and closing!)

 

Do try this at home!

 

Here's a modified chant I saw online about penguins:

 

Penguins Shuffle!

Penguins shuffle-shuffle to the left, left, left!

Penguins shuffle-shuffle to the right, right, right!

Give a little wiggle!

Give a little hop!

Waddle round an iceberg and now they stop!

 

We were getting a little exercise today! Do that last one 20 times and not only will you get fit, you may also start to feel like a penguin yourself :)

 

That's all for today! Next week we'll have an Outer Space theme, and we'll make paper plate solar systems! (Huh? -- Yes, it can be done!)

See you next time,

Miss Kelly

Don't forget to check out this extensive book list for books about birds:

 

Some Birds by Matt Spink

No Two Alike by Keith Baker

Birds by Kevin Henkes

Snowballs and Feathers for Lunch by Lois Ehlert

In the Snow by Sharon Phillips Denslow; Ills. by Nancy Tafuri

Whose Chick are You? and Five Little Chicks and Have You Seen My Duckling? And Where Did Bunny Go? and Will You Be My Friend? by Nancy Tafuri

Bird Songs by Betty Franco; Ills. by Steve Jenkins

Little Bird’s ABC by Pete Grobler

How to Heal a Broken Wing by Bob Graham

Bird Talk by Anne Jonas

Inch by Inch by Leo Lionni

Today at the Bluebird Café by Deborah Ruddell; Ills. by Joan Rankin

Owl Babies by Martin Waddell

The Roly Poly Egg by Kali Stileman

An Egg is Quiet and A Nest Is Noisy by Diana Aston; Ills. by Sylvia Long

More by I.C. Springman; Ills by Brian Lies

Wild Birds by Joanne Ryder; Ills. by Susan Estelle Kwas

Peep Leap by Elizabeth Verdick; Ill.s by John Bendall-Brunello

Nest by Jorey Hurley

A Good Day by Kevin Henkes

Mama Built a Little Nest by Jennifer Ward; Ills. by Steve Jenkins

On the Wing by David Elliott; Ills. by Becca Stadtlander

Swim, Duck, Swim! by Susan Lurie; Photos by Murray Head

Sweep Up the Sun by Helen Frost

Spots in a Box by Helen Ward

Have You Heard the Nesting Bird? by Rita Gray; Ills. by Kenard Pak

Every Day Birds by Amy Ludwig VanDerwater; ills. by Dylan Metrano

5 Little Ducks by Denise Fleming

Hooray for Birds! by Lucy Cousins

 

And many, many more!