• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

TheHomeSchoolMom

Homeschooling help and encouragement from experienced homeschoolers - find out how homeschooling works and how to start, get tips & ideas for when things need adjusting, read curriculum reviews before buying, learn how online schools work, gain confidence about homeschooling high school, and more.

The Home School Mom The Home School Mom The Home School Mom
  • Home
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Contact
  • Facebook
  • Pinterest
  • Home
  • Subscriber
    Exclusives
  • Homeschooling
    101
  • All About
    Deschooling
  • Homeschooling
    Styles
  • Homeschool
    High School
  • Help By
    Subject
  • Homeschool
    Curriculum
  • Local
    & State
  • Homeschool
    Planner
  • Meal Plans
    & Recipes
menu icon
go to homepage
  • How To Homeschool
  • Homeschool Curriculum
    • Kindergarten Homeschool Curriculum
    • How to Choose Homeschool Curriculum
    • Online School
  • Homeschool
    Co-ops & Groups
    • Homeschool Conventions & Events
    • Homeschool Field Trips
  • Homeschool ID Card
    • Printable Homeschool Planner
    • Transcript Template
  • About Us
    • Facebook
    • Pinterest
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • How To Homeschool
    • Homeschool Curriculum
      • Kindergarten Homeschool Curriculum
      • How to Choose Homeschool Curriculum
      • Online School
    • Homeschool
      Co-ops & Groups
      • Homeschool Conventions & Events
      • Homeschool Field Trips
    • Homeschool ID Card
      • Printable Homeschool Planner
      • Transcript Template
    • About Us
    • Facebook
    • Pinterest
  • ×
    Home » Blog » Topical Learning Ideas » Birds

    Make Your Own Bird Unit Study

    Jeanne Faulconer, M.A.

    TheHomeSchoolMom may earn affiliate commissions from purchases made using links on this page.

    An easy introduction to nature is through a bird unit study, which can provide a wild distraction, a connection to the natural world, and a chance to be grounded in an off-screen reality.

    Make your own bird unit study.

    Jump to:
    • Make Your Own Bird Unit Study
    • Create a Birding Journal
    • Get Our Birds Activity Pack & Birding Journal
    • Make DIY Bird Feeders
    • Identify Common Backyard Birds
    • Read Kid-Friendly Bird Watching Books
    • Read Bird Identification and Guide Books
    • Learn How To Draw Birds
    • Additional Resources for Your Bird Unit Study

    Make Your Own Bird Unit Study

    You’ll jumpstart your birding experience if you can set up a bird feeder (we have DIY birdfeeder ideas for you below). Backyard feeders work well in many places, but you can also attract birds to apartment balconies (before setting up a feeder, observe the area to be sure there are no predators like hawks or owls, and ensure feeders are mounted high enough to keep birds safe from cats).

    You can order bird feeders online or at hardware, home, discount, and farm supply stores. If funds allow, a camera feeder can be an exciting addition to birdwatching.

    Black oil sunflower seed is a good first bird seed to try in a store-bought feeder, but you can expand to millet, thistle, and fruit and nut blends to attract other bird species.

    If you’re counting pennies or want to try a craft, you and the kids could make and hang birdseed ornaments and simple bird feeder crafts (see our favorites below). If you want to see the birds from inside your home, be sure to put the bird feeder in a place where your kids can see the birds through a window.

    Providing fresh water outside will also attract birds (be sure to use a shallow container to keep the birds safe).

    In addition to getting the birds to come to you, you and your kids can head out for a bird walk to try to sight birds in a park, along a farm fence line, or along a creek or river.

    Enhance your birding opportunities with:

    • Binoculars
    • A bird identification app or website (the free Merlin app can identify birds by description, sound, or image and populates a birding life list for all birds identified)
    • A field guide to birds (see our favorites below)
    • A sketchbook and colored pencils
    • A phone camera or camera

    A few tips for birding with kids:

    • Help your kids start their own birding life lists. A life list is a paper or digital list of all bird species encountered with the date and place seen. Starting a life list while kids are young means they can end up with exceptionally long lists, even if they stay in the same geographic area!
    • Join in sketching birds or nature journaling with your kids.
    • Post their sketches, lists, and photos on your walls, near your bird-watching window if you can!
    • Put snacks and water for the kids in the bird-walking backpack!
    • Try some citizen science with a two-day bird count.

    Let go of pushing through homeschool work that isn’t working and start a joyful “birdy journey.”

    Create a Birding Journal

    Birding can be fleeting and enjoyed in the moment. A glimpse of a swooping great heron or a roosting raptor can be a thrill and a connection to the natural world.

    Free Birding Journal Pages
    Sign up below for access to the printable

    Parents can encourage children to go further and practice additional academic skills by asking them to create or contribute to a birding journal.

    A birding journal can help your kids:

    • learn to identify various species of birds by sight or sound
    • learn details about the differences in male, female, and juvenile individuals of the same species
    • learn the time of day and season of year that certain species of birds appear locally
    • understand bird habitats
    • add to their "life list" of birds
    • practice using binoculars, field guides, and birding apps
    • practice sketching or photographing birds, depending on the type of journal
    • practice handwriting by labeling bird species, date, weather conditions, etc.
    • begin to develop a soft sense of collecting and analyzing data

    Kids can use their own sketchbook or notebook for their birding journal, or they can create a page for each bird they observe with our printable Birding Journal pages. The completed pages can be bound together with a cover to create a personal birding book. They could also be combined with pages for journaling about trees, plants, animals, and more to create a more complete nature journal.

    Our Birds Activity Pack & Birding Journal (see below) contains printable Birding Journal & Life List pages as well as bird identification activities to help kids hone their identification skills through sight and sound.

    Get Our Birds Activity Pack & Birding Journal

    Our Birds Activity Pack & Birding Journal is a wonderful addition to any bird unit study.

    Screenshots of Birds Activity Pack & Birding Journal (40+ pages).

    With the activity pack, kids can

    • learn science
    • practice handwriting
    • read and answer questions (orally or in writing)
    • develop observation skills
    • practice acute listening skills
    • enjoy hands-on activities
    • identify bird species by sight and song
    • build vocabulary
    • develop fine motor skills
    • connect with nature

    While parents enjoy the process!

    The activity pack gives you straightforward printables, engaging (but not difficult!) experiments to do with your kids, pictures & info for learning to identify birds, and more.

    Pages from our printable Birds Activity Pack & Birding Journal

    The Birds Activity Pack & Birding Journal contains over 40 pages of hands-on projects, activities, and experiments—smoothly combining academics with nature appreciation.

    Buy Our Birds Activity Pack & Birding Journal

    Make DIY Bird Feeders

    There are so many ways to make easy homemade bird feeders with kids using recycled materials, natural items, or simple craft supplies. Here are a few of our favorites.

    Bird seed ornaments hung by florist wire in a tree outside.
    Bird Seed Ornaments
    Make these easy bird seed ornaments from just a few items that you probably already have in your home. (Source: Crafts By Amanda)
    Pine cone birdfeeder hanging up in a tree outside.
    Pinecone Bird Feeder
    These peanut butter bird feeders are a great nature craft for late winter and early spring. (Source: Fox Farm Home)
    Frozen mini birdfeeder blocks with bird seed and orange slices hanging on a tree outside.
    Frozen Mini Bird Feeders
    DIY frozen bird feeders provide nature-inspired entertainment for kids. (Source: Barley & Birch)
    A pumpkin with its top and center removed and filled with birdseed hanging from a tree outside.
    Pumpkin Bird Feeder
    Upcycle your pumpkins by turning them into simple, natural bird feeders. (Source: The Gingerbread House)
    Bird seed and a dowel in a horizontal hanging mason jar glass.
    Mason Jar Bird Feeder
    Make this mason jar bird feeder in minutes for a fun summer garden craft. (Source: Crafts by Amanda)
    Bird seed in a heat-shaped mold.
    No Peanut Butter Bird Feeder
    These homemade bird feeders are made with just birdseed and gelatin. (Source: Teach Beside Me)
    Bird feeder made from a half gallon cardboard milk container hanging at a window.
    DIY Window Bird Feeder
    Make an easy bird feeder from a recycled milk carton, string, and a suction hook. (Source: Teach Beside Me)
    Bird feeder made from twine, craft sticks, and glue hanging from a tree outside.
    Popsicle Stick Bird Feeder
    Make a bird feeder from twine, craft sticks, and glue. (Source: Tina's Dynamic Homeschool)

    Identify Common Backyard Birds

    Identify Your Common Backyard Birds (Central & Eastern USA); video copyright ©Lew Scharpf, used by permission

    Read Kid-Friendly Bird Watching Books

    Backyard Explorer: Bird Watch: What Will You Find? book cover. Bird Watch Book for Kids book cover.
    Beginning Birdwatcher's Book book cover. My Bird Watching Journal book cover.

    Read Bird Identification and Guide Books

    Birds (a Golden Guide) book cover. A Kid's Guide to Backyard Birds book cover.
    Audubon Field Guide to the Birds of North America book cover. Peterson Field Guide to Birds of Eastern and Central North America.
    Everything Birds of Prey by national Geographic book cover. How to Draw Amazing Birds book cover.
    Birds for Kids (A Junior Scientist's Guide) book cover. Bird Builds a Nest book cover.

    Learn How To Draw Birds

    The Laws Guide to Drawing Birds book cover. Drawing Cute Birds in Colored Pencil book cover.
    How to Draw Amazong Birds from Songbirds to Birds of Prey book cover. How to Draw Birds: A Step-by-Step Guide for Realistic Drawing Projects book cover.

    Additional Resources for Your Bird Unit Study

    At the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, you'll find an extensive bird identification guide as well as K-12 lesson plans, activities, bird guides, a “Bird Academy” for all ages, live cams, a bird song library, and much more.

    The Audubon birding website for kids has many wonderful bird resources developed specifically for students K-12.

    Get activities, handouts, downloads, and a facilitator handbook in Flying WILD, a multidisciplinary curriculum from the Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies. It’s primarily designed for middle school students but is adaptable to a K-12 audience.

    Browse all seven volumes of Birds of America by John James Audubon at the online Biodiversity Heritage Library.

    Participate in NestWatch, a nest-monitoring project funded by the National Science Foundation and run by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center.

    Learn how to make the most of your time birding with these birding tips from the Southeastern Arizona Bird Observatory. If your kids are drawn to hummingbirds, visit Operation Ruby-Throat, a comprehensive site with lots of info for educators created by the Hummingbird Project at the Hilton Pond Center for Piedmont Natural History.

    Learn about bird biology & ornithology—including bird feathers, flight mechanisms, nests, reproduction, and more—from Avian Report.

    Go bird watching with Theodore Roosevelt in this interactive virtual guide from the American Museum of Natural History, where kids learn about 16 species of bird observed by Theodore Roosevelt.

    Learn how to draw birds from John Muir Laws, whose site has many resources, including drawing specific species, drawing feathers, drawing tails, drawing with different tools, and more. You'll also find lessons, resources, and tutorials to start nature journaling and use it as a tool in your classroom.

    Visit the Science Learning Hub's bird resources for explainer articles and diagrams on birds, bird science, feathers, bird anatomy, migration, tracking, and more.

    These raptor resources are sure to please kids interested in birds of prey:

    Use this owl pellet dissection lesson plan with teacher guide and worksheets to have students dissect and analyze owl pellets to determine what owls eat. Includes a teacher guide and worksheets. An additional owl pellet lesson plan is available from PBSLearning Media.

    Watch live eagle nest cams at the American Eagle Foundation (recorded content is also available) and eagle and osprey nest cams at the Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge.

    Check out the curricula and raptor printables available from Hawk Mountain Global Raptor Conservation.

    Explore the raptors of the world at The Peregrine Fund's raptor library.

    Make your own bird unit study.

    Share on Facebook Share on Pinterest Share on Reddit Share on Email Share on X (Twitter)

    Last updated on November 8, 2024.
    Topics: Birds, Nature-based Learning

    Jeanne Faulconer, M.A.

    Jeanne FaulconerA popular speaker at homeschooling conferences, business groups, and parents’ groups, Jeanne Potts Faulconer homeschooled her three sons in North Carolina, Mississippi, and Virginia for twenty years. Holding her Master of Arts degree in Communication, Jeanne conducted portfolio evaluations for Virginia homeschoolers for evidence of progress for many years. Jeanne is a former college faculty member, former editor for several publications, news correspondent for WCVE, and former director of Brave Learner Home. She is the contributing editor for TheHomeSchoolMom newsletter and writes the popular Ask Jeanne column addressing homeschool parents' questions here at TheHomeSchoolMom.

    Reader Interactions

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Your Rating




    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    sidebar

    As featured on

    US News & World Report, Forbes, KQED, HuffPost, AL.com, Money, Healthline Parenthood, Family Education, Parents, Scholastic US News & World Report, Forbes, KQED, HuffPost, AL.com, Money, Healthline Parenthood, Family Education, Parents, Scholastic
    • Home
    • About
    • Advertise
    • Contact
    • Terms / Disclosure
    • Accessibility
    • Privacy
    • Do Not Sell My Information

    Return to top

    Copyright © 2000–2025 · Kelley Media, Ltd. (TheHomeSchoolMom.com)

    As an Amazon Associate TheHomeSchoolMom earns from qualifying purchases.

    This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

    Make your own bird unit study.