Why do birds lay eggs in the spring?

Why do birds lay eggs in the spring?
Lesson narration:
English Spanish
Scroll for prep
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DISCUSS:

Why do you think most birds lay their eggs in spring, and not other seasons?

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Slide Image
Discuss: What do mother robins and father robins do to help their babies
grow up?
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DISCUSS:

Every spring, birds build nests. Why does a bird need a nest?

Can you think of ways having a nest helps a bird?

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Step
01/15
Get your supplies.
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Step
02/15
Find a partner. You and your partner will help each other build your
nests. If you’re working alone, that’s okay too.
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Step
03/15
Some birds use twigs to make a nest that’s shaped like a bowl.
You don’t have twigs, but you do have a paper bag. Discuss:
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04/15
Put your bag on your table or desk, like this. Stand up and put your
hand in the bag. Have your partner use both hands to squash down
the sides of the bag.
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05/15
Your bag started out flat. Suppose a bird laid an egg on that flat bag.
Watch what would happen. Now watch what would happen if a bird
laid an egg in the nest you made from a bag. Discuss:
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06/15
Your nest is off to a great start. But you aren’t done yet! Watch this
little bird to figure out what might make your nest better! Discuss:
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07/15
You have some things you could use to make your nest soft inside.
Feel each one. Decide which would make the paper bag a softer place
for eggs and chicks.
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08/15
Now you have to figure out how to use the soft things you have.
Experiment with what you have! Make the inside of your nest soft
and cozy.
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09/15
Make your hand into a fist like this. Put your hand on the paper, with
the bottom of your hand at the edge of the paper. Trace around your
hand with a pencil.
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10/15
Color your bird. You can color it so it looks like a real bird, or like a bird
you made up. Add a tail.
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11/15
Draw a box around your bird, like this. The bird’s beak and tail should
just touch the line of the box. Now cut along the lines of the box. Your
bird is ready to sit on its nest!
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12/15
Put your bird in your nest. Your nest may not look like ours — or like
anyone else’s nest. There are many different kinds of bird nests!
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Take a look at these three bird nests. Discuss:
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Every nest keeps eggs from rolling away! But each nest is made of
different stuff. Flamingoes use mud. Robins use twigs. Hummingbirds
use spider webs & bits of plants.
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Just for fun, imagine that you’re a bird. Think about what you could
use to build your nest. Have fun, and stay curious.
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# Extensions
Below are ideas for extending this topic beyond the activity & exploration you just completed.
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# Readings: Online Picture Books
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# Activity: Go Bird Watching

If you can take your students outside, go for a walk where you look and listen for birds. In an urban schoolyard, you might see sparrows and pigeons and crows. In a park pond, you’re likely to see ducks and geese and coots. There are birds almost everywhere, even in the middle of a city!

If you can’t go for a walk, consider setting up a window bird feeder for your classroom. Maybe the birds will come to you!

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# Activity: Watch A Live Bird Cam

To give your students a close-up look at birds, check out the bird feeder cam, live from Cornell Labs in Ithaca, New York. Ask students questions about what they see.

  • How many different kinds of birds do they see?
  • What are the birds doing?
  • What sounds do they hear?

The birds you see will depend on the season of the year, so consider checking the feeder cam at different times of the year.

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Lesson narration:
English Spanish

Activity Prep

Print Prep

In this lesson, students learn why spring is the best time for babies to be born. In the activity, Build A Bird Nest, students make a model of a bird nest and notice how birds can change their environment to meet their needs when they build their nests.

Preview activity
Number of students:

I have a Mystery Pack

Blank Paper (8.5 x 11")
1 sheet per student
Crayons
Colored pencils will also work.
Details
3 crayons per student
Scissors
1 pair per student
Soft Materials
Students will use these to pad their nest. You can use tissue paper, facial tissues, paper towels, toilet paper, cotton balls, or even scraps of fabric or yarn.
Details
3 items per student
Paper Lunch Bags
1 bag per student
Prep Instructions

We suggest students work in pairs. Homeschool students can work on their own.

Get Creative With Materials Distribution (Optional)

Students will be lining their paper bird nests with tissue paper and/or other soft material. If you have a high tolerance for chaos, you can put these materials at different stations around the room — and have your students “fly” to the stations to gather their materials. It’s fun, but chaotic.

We also suggest encouraging students to modify the materials you provide -- tearing and crumpling them to make them fit in their nest. That’s what birds do, after all!

Surprise students with a pompom egg! (Optional)

If you have a supply of pompoms, consider surprising each student with a pompom “egg” for their nest! We think 1-inch pompoms are about the right size for a paper bag nest.

Exploration

10 mins

Hands-On Activity

30 mins

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Vocabulary

Reading

Activity

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