Owl pellets are available online and through science education retailers, sterilized for student use along with a dissection kit. With the help of a teacher, preschoolers can dissect owl pellets and identify the different types of materials found inside. The preschoolers might just recognize bones, fur or feathers; reassembly of the skeleton is not necessary though can be completed by an adult. Discuss with the students what types of materials are found in the owl pellets and what are not. Have them suggest what parts of the body are digested by the owls.
Most of the animal skeletons found in owl pellets are of small rodents. These can be fairly intricate, and preschoolers won't be able to reconstruct it completely by themselves. However, they should be able to identify the larger pieces of bone like the skull and jaw. A responsible adult can reconstruct the skeleton for them and have students examine the different parts of the skeleton. Ask them to compare parts of the prey's skeleton to their own bodies. They should be able to identify common features, such as teeth, eye sockets and even leg bones. If the owl pellet contains a full skeleton of an animal, have the students try to guess what animal it is by comparing it to different pictures of living creatures.
If it is not possible to obtain real owl pellets, or if it is not a feasible project for the kids to handle them, there are other online options. Some websites allow students to virtually dissect owl pellets. While many of these sites are aimed at students in higher grade levels, with proper supervision by an adult, preschoolers can examine the types of bones and skeletons that are found within owl pellets.
Owl pellets demonstrate how there are waste products from animals eating their prey. Ask students to compare how they eat to how an owl eats. For example, students may suggest that they eat around bones in chicken or ribs. Other suggestions for how humans eat around food are shelling sea food, or spitting out watermelon seeds instead of swallowing them. Students with a cat as a pet might compare an owl pellet to a hairball that cats often cough up.
On a sheet of paper, draw or print out the skeleton of a small rodent. Have the students tear the paper apart to represent the breaking down of a skeleton in a owl's stomach. Then wad up all these pieces of paper into a paper ball to represent the owl pellet. Have students trade paper balls and dissect each other's pellet, and have them try to reassemble the skeleton like a puzzle.
As a group, develop a story about how an owl pellet is formed. This can be from the point of view of the owl eating its prey, or it can be from the point of view of a small rodent that has been eaten by an owl. Have students draw pictures to illustrate this story.