Building a Nest

Ages 2.5-5
​After reading Mama Built a Little Nest by Jennifer Ward, children will discuss nesting habits of birds and using creative play to construct nests of their own. They will use natural and found materials. 

Student Group

• Age 2.5-5

Objectives

• Children will build a structure that can hold a plastic egg 
• Children will use found, recycled and natural materials can be used to create art 
• Children will discuss the homes birds build for themselves, and how they compare to homes people build. 

Developmental skills 

• Children will work on fine motor skills when manipulating materials 
• Children will use critical and creative thinking skills to construct a nest.
• Children will use problem solving skills to work through structural issues as they arise
• Children will consider the ways animals and people both construct homes for themselves. 

Developmental Rationale

• This activity encourages to play, explore and create. 
• Materials are used in unconventional ways, exposing children to how any materials can be used to create art. 
  

Materials 

• Book: Mama Build a Little Nest by Jennifer Ward 
• Natural materials such as twigs, leaves, pine needles, etc. 
• Scrap art materials such as yarn, tissue paper, feathers, cotton balls, etc. 
• plastic eggs 

Instructional Strategies
Reading 

• Mama Built a Little Nest by Jennifer Ward 

Discussion 

• Discuss how birds hatch from eggs when they are babies.
  
• Discuss the term environment, and where birds live. 
• Discuss how they build nests like we build houses. 
• Ask what tools would be helpful when building a nest, or a house? What tools to birds have? What parts of their bodies act as tools?

Guided Practice 

• Pass out one plastic egg for each child. Explain that they will build a nest for their egg. Have students decide what species their egg is. Using Mama Built a Little Nest as an aid, help students determine what environment their egg will be in. 
• Ask students about what materials birds use to create nests. Emphasize that birds use what they can find around them, and we will do the same by using scrap art materials. If possible, bring students outside to collect natural nest-building materials. 
• Provide students with all available materials, and challenge them to build on their own for 5 minutes, before jumping in to assist. 
• Have students test their nest with their egg. Explain that the goal is for the egg to not touch the table or roll out of the nest. 
• Once nests are complete, pass out paper and drawing materials for students to illustrate the environment their nest is in. Ask students to recall where their earlier decided what environment their egg lives in, then ask them to describe that environment. 

Critique 

• Encourage student to clear excess materials from their area, leaving only their nest and drawn environment on display 
• Ask students to volunteer to share the name of their egg, what environment it lives in, and any other details they would like. 
• Ask them to imagine what their bird will look like after it has hatched and grown up. 
• Work on color and texture recognition by asking students to raise their hands for a series of questions: Who has a nest that is round? Who has a nest that is soft? Who has a nest with blue anywhere on it? Etc.