Lesson 4A Building a Better Birdfeeder

Portal Resources
List of Materials
  • 2-inch by 2-inch Square Cutouts Handout
  • Binoculars — one per student group
  • Feeding Backyard Birds Poster
  • 2 pounds of sunflower seeds
  • 2 pinecones for each student (Teacher Note: Pinecones can be collected anywhere there are pine trees or they
    can be purchased. Natural pinecones are preferred because sometimes purchased pinecones have been treated or sprayed with chemicals.)
  • Plastic spoons (2 spoons per student)
  • Sticky materials such as
    • Peanut butter, almond butter, or sunflower butter
    • Syrup
    • Cake icing (Teacher Note: Vegetable shortening is not safe for birds to eat.)
  • Bowls or paper
Estimated Time

3 Hours - Optional: Repeat bird observations from Engage in the spring.

  • Engage: 15 minutes
  • Explore: 60 minutes
  • Explain: 30 minutes
  • Elaborate: 60 minutes
  • Evaluate: 15 minutes