Gobble Up Turkeys

 

Turkeys are traditional food at Thanksgiving. And there’s more to them than that one meal. Gobble up the facts about turkeys with these activities.

 

CONNECT:

• Check out 70! facts about turkeys at https://www.lovetoknow.com/parenting/kids/turkey-facts-kids
• Why do Americans eat turkey on Thanksgiving? See the video answer about it at https://www.britannica.com/video/turkey-dish-meal/-238846
• Get wild about wild turkeys at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SnIU1iJgmVE

 

CREATE:

• Here are two dozen turkey activities for kids: https://thekindergartenconnection.com/24-turkey-activities-kids/
• Get a taste for healthy turkey food art at https://raisingveggielovers.com/turkey-food-art-healthy-kids-food/
• Work up an appetite with these thanksgiving games at https://www.thepioneerwoman.com/holidays-celebrations/g32449758/thanksgiving-games/

 

CARE:

• Watch how farmers care for turkeys at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KpHvD4TBzOM
• Wild turkeys adapt to urban and suburban communities, which can cause problems. See the issues and the solutions at https://www.aphis.usda.gov/sites/default/files/Wild-Turkeys-WDM-Technical-Series.pdf
• Watch this annual “Turkeys for Teachers” drive to support 1000 local teachers with Thanksgiving good at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ORGcKXXhlM

 

CAREERS:

Is a TURKey LURKey in your future? Maybe as a farmer, a grocer, a cook, an event planner, an ornithologist (bird scientist)? You might thank a turkey for an interesting career. See some examples below.  

• Visit a turkey farm at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LOxzPHg_B64
• Scientists talk about turkey conservation at https://www.youtube.com/shorts/DfjOQFVEeK4

 

Let the Feathers Fly!

 Have you heard about fine feathered friends? Find out what makes feathers so fine by exploring the following activities.

 

CONNECT:

• Get the facts about feathers at https://www.treehugger.com/amazing-facts-about-feathers-4863989
• Why do birds have feathers? Watch the answer at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bGg-CSLBD9c
• Watch how feathers can tell you secrets at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0TNv-WLHBkU
• Watch how you can identify feather by their shapes: at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xvlyVsIdFIM
• Feathers predate birds – did you know that dinosaurs had feathers? Check it out at https://www.kids-dinosaurs.com/feathered-dinosaurs.html

 

CREATE:

• Try ways to paint with feathers using the ideas at https://earlylearningideas.com/paint-with-feathers/
• Experiment with feathers at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RqKjsAG6tps
• Play a ninja feather game by following the directions at https://earlylearningideas.com/paint-with-feathers/ 

CARE:

• Watch how birds clean themselves, including their feathers, at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=etGz3e7TyD8
• Find out if it is safe to collect feathers at https://www.gigglemagazine.com/super-bowl-recipes-kids-will-love/
• For parents: find out about kids’ possible allergies to down pillows at https://www.unitedpharmacies.md/blog/can-a-child-be-allergic-to-down-pillows/

 

CONNECT:

Do feathers give your heart wing? Fly some of these ideas for career opportunities:  scientist, fashion maker, artist, pet expert, manufacturer, even history. Read about feather experts here.

• https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/meet-roxie-laybourne-feather-detective-who-changed-aviation-180971803/
• https://www.hawaiibusiness.com/family-tradition-of-feather-work/
• https://theartssociety.org/arts-news-features/become-instant-expert-snowy-egret-feather

 

 

Birds of a Feather

Birds are all around us, but do we really see or value them? Find out about the original Bird Land by doing these activities.

CONNECT:

• Explore the evolution and diversity by clicking on this wall of birds: https://academy.allaboutbirds.org/features/wallofbirds/
• Watch birds migrate across the hemisphere: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/mesmerizing-migration-watch-118-bird-species-migrate-across-a-map-of-the-western-hemisphere/
• View a Quicktime time-lapse movie of a hatching chick: http://www.msichicago.org/experiment/videos/the-hatchery/
• Each bird has a distinctive sound; hear the sounds of Florida’s birds at http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/birds/florida-bird-sounds/; compare them to New York birds: http://www.math.stonybrook.edu/~tony/birds/
• Get an eggs-tra special look at birds through their eggs: http://www.royalalbertamuseum.ca/exhibits/online/eggs/vexhome/egghome.htm
• What makes a bird of prey? Find out at http://idahoptv.org/sciencetrek/topics/birds_of_prey/index.cfm

CREATE:

• Discover why birds have different bills, and see if you can match each bird to its favorite food: http://projectbeak.org/adaptations/beaks_test.htm
• How much do you know about the feathered visitors to your backyard? Put your bird brain to work on this quiz: http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/backyard-birds-quiz/
• Try these fun activities from Audubon about birds: http://web4.audubon.org/educate/kids/
• Make your own craft-y birds following the directions at http://www.dltk-kids.com/animals/birds.html
• Birds come in a range of sizes: from 3 inches to six feet; browse them at http://www.whatbird.com/browse/attribute/birds_na_147/51/Size/

CARE:

• Considering owning a pet bird? Here’s a guide to parrots and other exotic pet birds: http://www.birdsnways.com/
• Feed the birds by creating a garden for them: http://feederwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/BirdNote13-Creating-a-Garden-2012-03-27-RGB.pdf
• Bird watching is not only a fun activity, but it can also be a service. See how you and other kids can make a difference in the science field at http://gbbc.birdcount.org
• Why do birds hit windows – and how can you help prevent that happening? Find out at http://www.humanesociety.org/animals/resources/tips/bird_safe_windows.html

CAREERS:

There are many careers “for the birds”: ornithologist, naturalist, researcher, veterinarian, illustrator, writer, photographer, trainer, entertainer, sales person, manufacturer and many more. Read stories of bird lovers with careers at http://betterwords.typepad.com/birdvice/2009/01/careers-in-birds.html

Here are some other leads:

http://ebird.org/content/ybn/resources/careers/

http://www.environmentalscience.org/career/ornithologist

Spring into Action

Spring has sprung, and that means daylight outshines and outlasts moonlight. So put some spring into your step, and enjoy these springtime Internet activities.

CONNECT:

• Try out some of these family-friendly spring activities from England: http://www.activityvillage.co.uk/spring
• It’s time to get movin’, especially for the birds. Track spring migration at http://www.learner.org/jnorth/
• What is the reason for the seasons? Watch this video to see why: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UlCLX27NqMg
• Why do animals have more babies in the spring? Find out the reason for this another spring happenings at http://www.topmarks.co.uk/spring/BabyAnimals.aspx?age=ks2.
• Read how baby animals resemble their parents at http://www.hometrainingtools.com/a/learn-about-baby-animals

CREATE:

• Different cultures celebrate spring in unique ways. Experience Hina Matsuri, Dolls’ Festival, by making  Japanese paper doll; follow the directions at http://www.wikihow.com/Make-Hina-Matsuri-Dolls.  You can read more about the festival at http://www.japan-talk.com/jt/new/hina-matsuri
• Join the chorus of spring songs at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DobrRgD5aOU
• Here are lots of spring crafts to make: http://theimaginationtree.com/2012/04/15-spring-activities-for-kids.html
• Create life! – by gardening. Here are some ways to engage children in digging up fun in the garden: http://www.sheknows.com/parenting/articles/952457/spring-gardening-ideas-for-young-kids

CARE:

• Brighten up someone’s day by making a spring craft for them. There are lots of ideas at http://theimaginationtree.com/2012/04/15-spring-activities-for-kids.html
• Share a spring story with family and friends; reading aloud can be a welcome activity for a bedridden person. You can start with this list of top children’s books for celebrating spring: http://www.amightygirl.com/mighty-girl-picks/top-books-for-celebrating-spring
• Do you have extra time during spring break? Why not share with others? Here are some simple service projects that chase away boredom and help others: http://penniesoftime.com/acts-of-kindness-and-simple-service-projects-for-spring-break/
• Spring into actoin by building a community nature trail; follow these steps: http://www.walterreeves.com/how-to-archive/how-to-build-a-school-nature-trail/

CAREERS:

What jobs get really busy in the spring? They say, “Everyone talks about the weather, but no one does anything about it.” Not true, if you ask a meteorologists (weather scientists). Spring has the most varied weather of the four seasons. And the season also impacts veterinarians (animal doctors) and farmers, to name a few. What other jobs spring to mind this season?

http://www.weather.gov/careers

https://aavmc.org/Students-Applicants-and-Advisors/Careers-in-Veterinary-Medicine.aspx

http://www.agday.org/education/careers.php

https://www.ffa.org/home