Learning about birds

Today, we drove way up north to learn about birds since all 3 kids love birds.  It was a class for homeschoolers so I was hoping to meet some new friends too.

First, the kids colored pictures of a bird for their name tag.

Then we went outside to play some games.  They were divided up into teams and then they were supposed to use different tools to collect food.  The tools represented beaks and they had to collect the correct food item for their beak. The teams raced against each other to see who could collect the most food.

In this round, my kids had to collect nectar.  They didn't collect much with a straw.

Other times they got to use tongs and collect balls and sticks.

After the games, they learned how to use binoculars and then we went on a short walk.

Searching for birds on the lake.

After the walk, we returned to the classroom to make our own birds with play-doh.  The play-doh was a little old so it wouldn't hold its shape.  Skylar and Andrew got pretty frustrated so we left a few minutes early before their birds were completed.  I told them they could use our play-doh or clay at home to make their birds.

The kids did a fantastic job.  They were very interested in learning and seeing some birds.  Like all classes there are always kids that aren't interested and make it difficult for others to learn.  On the way home, we had a lot of time to discuss ways the kids can handle their frustration when they want to learn and the kids around them are being pains.

Andrew wants to return for more classes but the girls said they could skip it.  I think it will depend on the weather and the topic.  It is a long way to drive.