Birds can help kids learn letters of the alphabet. Create a chart associating different birds with each letter in the alphabet. So for O you could write ostrich, while the letter G is for goose. Place a picture of the corresponding bird by each letter. Other lessons could cover how birds survive. Explain how birds move around during the year and live elsewhere in the winter. Show kids examples of birds eggs as a method of explaining how new birds are born and how this differs from the birth of other animals.
Classroom projects can accompany lessons about birds. Making and setting up a bird feeder helps kids to understand the environment around them. Take the class to a nearby area with trees in which birds perch. Give the kids bread and peeled apple slices to scatter in the area; the children can then observe birds coming to feed. Keep a record of the birds kids have seen as time progresses. Whenever a child sees a bird from the classroom window, ask her to describe it or point it out from a book of bird pictures. Add the bird to the tally of commonly seen birds in the area.
Simple classroom activities entertain kids while educating them about bird habits. After showing your class a bird’s nest and explaining what it does, hand each child a collection of twigs, leaves and stones and ask him to form his own version of a nest. To aid with the teaching of corresponding numbers, give each child a collection of chocolate eggs or similar. Then in front of the class, hold up a picture of a bird and a number. The kids must put that many eggs into the nest they’ve made.
Movement games encourage creativity and spatial awareness while teaching about the nature of birds. Show kids some videos of birds moving about; the kids then move about an open space in the manner of the birds. For example, if the kids see a duck on a riverbank, they’ll try and waddle all over the space, while copying a heron requires slowly stalking about.