We had a wonderful first day of Summer ZooCamp yesterday, learning about all things with wings. We started with birds and learned that bird wings aren’t just for flying – they’re for camouflage, attracting mates, showing dominance and warning away predators too! We made a “flashy flyer” – our very own brightly colored bird and took a trip into the rose garden where we learned about why and how birds, their eggs and their chicks are camouflaged. Being camouflage experts, we took turns hiding our own bird/egg/chick and being foxes or snakes searching for them in the grass. For snack we made “bird seed” – individualized concoctions of popcorn, chocolate chips, cereal, raisins and marshmallows and learned that birds eat half their body weight each day! In our animal interviews we met a pigeon, a radiated tortoise and a leopard gecko.
Here is an activity you might want to try with your kids tonight:
Build a Bird
Birds come in all shapes, sizes and colors – and all for very special and very different reasons. Visit the website (http://www.rwpzoo.org/education/KidsNCritters.cfm) to download the the templates of bird beaks, heads and legs to build a bird with your child. How does your bird’s head, beak and leg shape help it to survive? Take it one step further and create a name and habitat for your bird!
Until tomorrow,
Jen Karow – Manager of Family Programs
