I’ve tried to keep everything for this unit accessible online or from local stores, as we are all still pretty locked down. But there have been a few items I have purchased to get ready for this unit and I wanted to share in case people wanted them as well! I move this post ahead of many others to give people the most time to purchase items.
Bird Cards
As I began researching for this Unit Study, I kept coming across these cards. I just couldn’t resist, and I’m glad I didn’t! For less than $12 it comes with a great amount of information on common birds.
The cards are all two-sided. The front has beautiful drawings of the birds and details about their physical features.
The card size is great, about the size of playing cards. And the back is full of information about the birds.
Plan for Use
I am setting up some card holders on the window sills that we already own. I love these from Super Duper. We are putting bird feeders out back with the hope that we can spot some feathered friends. As we spot them we can pull out the corresponding card and display them. We also plan to read books on birds in this unit study and watch some documentaries. So we will definitely be finding birds from those resources in our deck as well!
Osprey Binoculars
We found these at a local RV show that came through Denver right before the shut down. They are the perfect size for little hands and come with a lifetime replacement guarantee. Running a nature co-op, I have a feeling I may have to cash in on that. They were a bit more expensive than the kid version, but they work fantastic! Reach out to Kyle for a pair of your own.
Plans for Use
I am setting these up right next to the card holders on our window sill. Here’s hoping our little viewing area will bring us many feathered friends! Also, they will be readily available then for our walks around the neighborhood and [hopefully] on hikes in our near future!
Owl Pellets
Updated May 1: In Week Three we will be discussing owls, so we are also planning to dissect owl pellets. What is an owl pellet? Well, after an owl eats it’s meal, it’s stomach cannot digest bones, insect shells, fur, etc. So the owl spits it back up – think of it as an owl fur ball.
Plans for Use
If you dissect an owl pellet, you can find entire small animal skeletons! So we plan to explore and see if we can identify what we find. There is a class on Outschool we will be taking when we get to Week Three. In the meantime I have ordered these off of Amazon – they have great reviews and have heat sterilized the pellets too! Because, germs ya’ll.
Colorful Goose Feathers
We happened to have these on hand, and will be using them a lot in this unit. These feathers are firmer than the usual ones that come in craft kits, which remind me of feathered boas and somehow infiltrate every corner of my home when “let free”.
Plans for Use
Feathers like these will be helpful in many of the STEAM activities we have planned including measuring, math and even spelling. Not a must, you can cut feathers from paper if you would like! But a fun “extra” if you want to add them to your next Amazon order.
The Big Book of Birds
I really had no plans of purchasing any books for this Unit Study. I wanted to use what I had on hand and on-line resources. But I simply couldn’t resist this book after seeing previews in a few different resources. It doesn’t arrive until Thursday, but I’m excited to begin exploring it. The illustrations I’ve seen are beautiful and it has a wide variety of content.
Expect a Facebook Live when it arrives, over on our Facebook Page!
(I’ll link it back here afterwards)
Happy Shopping!
❤ Tara
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