Outdoor Hour Challenge – Swallows and Swifts

 

Outdoor Hour Challenge

Swallows and Swifts Bird Study

Inside Preparation Work:

• Read pages 109-115 (Lesson #28) in the Handbook of Nature Study. This lesson includes information on several different birds. There are links below to the All About Birds website and location maps so you can pinpoint which birds you have in your local area and what they look like.

Cliff Swallow: These are winter migrators so you will need to look for these next summer. Make sure to click the “video” tab and see them in action.

Barn Swallow: These are winter migrators so you will need to look for these next summer. Make sure to click the “video” tab and see them in action.

Bank Swallow: These are winter migrators so you will need to look for these next summer.

Tree Swallow: These are winter migrators so you will need to look for these next summer. Make sure to click the “video” tab and see them in action.

Chimney Swift: These are winter migrators so you will need to look for these next summer.

• Learn about bird migration as part of this challenge. Make sure to note where your swallows and swifts migrate during the winter. Here are some links:

Bird Migration Facts for Kids

• Advanced study: Read through these facts about bird migration and create a nature journal page that features any facts you found interesting: Bird Migration and Fun Facts About Bird Migration.

Outdoor Hour Time:

• Make sure to look for any local resident birds that you can observe as the season is changing. During your walk, talk about bird migration and introduce the idea that not all birds stay in one place for the whole year.
• Use your observation skills to listen for birds or look for signs of birds in your neighborhood.

Follow-Up Activity:

• Create a nature journal entry for a swallow you have in your local area.
• In addition, create a nature journal entry for any bird you observed this week. Make sure to look up information about the bird and include any interesting facts on your page.
• Advanced study: Draw a map featuring a swallow’s or other local bird’s migration path.
• Advanced study: View this link and create a sketch of a swallow in your nature journal: Swallow Naturalist Notebook.

 

If you want to purchase the Autumn Nature Study 2015 ebook so you can follow along with all the notebooking pages, coloring pages, and subject images, you can join the Ultimate or Journey Membership Levels. See the Join Us page for complete information. Also, you can view the  Autumn Nature Study 2015 announcement page for more details.