It's Spring! A Short and Tweet Kindergarten Lesson

Here in northern Illinois, it doesn't feel much like spring.  It's really cold outside!  However, those harbingers of spring, the robins, have returned.  So, it's time to get out my collection of Wild Republic stuffed birds and teach my kindergarteners to identify different birds by their appearance and their bird calls or songs!

I like to teach the children about tweets that don't emanate from I-phones for several reasons.  I want to get them to wonder about the world outside our classroom.  We really don't devote enough time to outdoor education so a few lessons about backyard birds seems justifiable to me.  I also think it is helpful to increase children's powers of observation as they distinguish the different colors and markings of the various birds.  And, I believe I am improving their auditory skills as they learn to discriminate between the various birdsongs.

Here is what I do:

On the first day, we look at my stuffed cardinal.  The cardinal is a bird that lives in northern Illinois throughout the year. Usually, a few kindergarteners can identify the cardinal.  I have created a flipchart for the Promethean Board that offers a little more information.

Then, we depress the cardinal's body slightly in order to hear its bird call. Of course, 5 and 6 year olds want to try to imitate the bird call!

On the next day, I bring out a robin.  We discuss its colors and then I share the flipchart on the robin.

Once again, we depress the bird's back slightly and listen to its bird call and try to imitate it.

Then, I hide both birds behind my back.  The helper-of-the-day goes behind me and depresses the body of one of the birds.  At my signal, the class announces which bird's call they heard and the helper holds up the correct bird.  Kindergarteners absolutely love this "game."

Sorry- the two birds in this picture are a mourning dove and a robin
instead of a cardinal and a robin, but you get the idea!

In this manner, we continue until we have learned about five or six birds each spring.  Each day, the helper chooses two of the birds for us to briefly discuss, re-read the relevant flipchart, and play The Birdsong Game.  Each lesson takes less than ten minutes.  

If you don't have any Wild Republic stuffed birds, they are available on Amazon.  I've also found them at craft stories and specialty toy stores.  You should definitely research which birds are most prevalent in your area.  There are many to choose from!

Happy Tweeting !