Research Is For the Birds

Last week the Montessori Kindergarteners (MKers) at my kids’ school did research projects on the animals of the Amazon. They all did such a fantastic job and my kids were blown away. They look up to the MKers in the class and really wanted to do a research project. I, on the other hand, told them “It’s Spring Break. Let’s relax.” And somehow we ended up making our relaxing into a research project anyway. Hey, Spring Break is all about fun your way, right? 

So how did relaxing turn into research?

I suggested that the girls and I lay on the deck and enjoy the fresh air. While outside, I closed my eyes. The kids were stunned. Mommy never closes her eyes (of course not – I have preschoolers! J ) I told them that I was listening to the birds chirp. They couldn’t see the birds but we could hear them. 

Briana ran in to get her binoculars. Then we found a pair for Abby and started looking for those chirping birds.

Bree wanted to draw her birds so I showed the girls how to break the bird down into circles, triangles, lines, and rectangles. Here’s my masterpiece.

The kids quickly surpass my drawing abilities.

 They want to know more about the birds so we get out a book on local birds called ‘Backyard Birds’ that one of their friends gave them years ago for a birthday. And they change into pajamas because the book was upstairs and passing their bedroom necessitates a wardrobe change for my girls.

We stare out of the window, identifying cardinals, house sparrows, blue jays, and robins. The kids are convinced that they also see meadowlarks and the red-winged blackbird. Maybe they did.

When we read up on the birds we see, our lazy day turns into a research project.

Abby likes the cardinal. We read up and talk about it’s song and habitat, and are surprised to learn that males and females have different coloring. Only the males are red. We look to see if we can find females. Today our yard is full of these colorful birds so that works out well.

Briana likes the elusive meadowlark. The only bird in our book whose males and females look the same. 

She draws a spot-on meadowlark, complete with yellow underbody, brown and reddish feathers and a black v under it’s head. I told you that their drawings are much better than mine.

She then wants to write what she knows about it.

After we do that the kids want to record their observations like real scientists. Here’s Bree’s report on the activities of the cardinal. She decides for the report that she should draw her bird like Mommy did. No idea why. I insist that her drawings are better, but she insists that the way I draw it is more grown up like a real scientist. It's her project. In the end she makes six pages. Here are the first two that I managed to snap a picture of before she decides that she isn't going to wait for me to get pictures. She staples up her project and runs outside to show the birds.

“The bird is going up the tree.”

“The bird is sitting on the tree.”

  

Abby diagrams the “bouncing around sparrow, hopping on our grass”.

We finish up the afternoon by refilling our hummingbird feeder, also given to us by the awesome friend who gave us the book, and hanging it right outside the side window. It’s a little cold out for hummingbirds, but we watch anyway and talk about where they might be and what they might be doing.

Spring Break is all about doing what you want all day. Even if that is research. Hey, some people are doing much crazier things like going for hikes and calling it vacation. (Totally kidding! J )

There won’t be a blog next week as we will be enjoying Spring Break the more common way – eating junk food and fighting while trapped in a car on a roadtrip. I hope all of our friends on Spring Break are having a blast doing whatever it is that makes them happy!

<3 Pedigreed Housewife