Hands-on Activity Build a Birdhouse

Learning Objectives

After this activity, students should be able to:

• Describe properties of materials used and why they are good for building a house.
• Understand the use of materials, wood and nails or glue, and a tool, the hammer.
• Explain the relationship between materials and tools.
• Understand birds need shelter for protection from weather and predators, and to safely hatch eggs.
• Learn that different birds require different sized houses.

Educational Standards

Each TeachEngineering lesson or activity is correlated to one or more K-12 science, technology, engineering or math (STEM) educational standards.

All 100,000+ K-12 STEM standards covered in TeachEngineering are collected, maintained and packaged by the Achievement Standards Network (ASN), a project of D2L (www.achievementstandards.org).

In the ASN, standards are hierarchically structured: first by source; e.g., by state; within source by type; e.g., science or mathematics; within type by subtype, then by grade, etc.

NGSS: Next Generation Science Standards - Science

Common Core State Standards - Math

International Technology and Engineering Educators Association - Technology

State Standards

Materials List

For the birdhouse:

• wood (see the procedure section for specifications on the wood pieces needed)
• nails (length 1.5 times the wood depth)
• hammer
• screwdriver
• wood screws (length 1.5 times the wood depth)

For the nest:

• paper plates (9-in [22.9-cm] diameter or less)
• grass/hay
• leaves
• small twigs
• bits of plastic (birds often use human made materials to build their nests)
• 3 plastic drinking straws
• 6 ft string
• scissors
• model or picture of nest to show

Worksheets and Attachments

Introduction/Motivation

When most people think of bird's nests, they imagine bundles of sticks nestled between tree branches, and held together with mud – a nest such as that made by robins (see Figure 2).

Some birds however, such as the blue bird or chickadee, nest in tree cavities (holes in decayed tree trucks). As forests are cleared for human developments, habitats such as mature forests with decayed trees are destroyed, reducing essential habitat for cavity-nesting birds.

To help preserve or improve bird populations, people have been building and putting up nest boxes (see Figures 1 and 3). Nest box programs have been successful in increasing populations of many cavity-nesting birds such as bluebirds.

Today, you will be designing and building your own birdhouse using limited materials and time. 

Procedure

Preparation:

For the birdhouse option:

A birdhouse built to the following proportions is intended to attract chickadees. Dimensions will vary a bit, depending on wood thickness and bird type (see References). You may want to investigate specifications that would benefit the wildlife in your region.

(optional idea) It works well to arrange a group effort with another teacher's grade 9-12 woodshop students. The older students can measure and cut the wood (in advance ) and partner with the younger students to watch over them nailing the birdhouses together. If that is not possible, obtain appropriately sized wood and glue. Hardware and lumber retailers often donate wood scraps to schools.

Cut the following wood pieces (refer to the attached Nest Box Diagram):

• Front: 6 x 4 x 1 in (15.3 x 10 x 2.5 cm) with hole 1.25 in (3.2 cm) in diameter centered 3 in (7.6 cm) above bottom
• Back: 6 x 4 x 1 in (15.3 x 10 x 2.5 cm)
• Top and Bottom: 4 x 4 x 1 in (10 x 10 x 2.5 cm)
• Side: 6 x 6 x 1 in (15.3 x 15.3 x 2.5 cm)

For the nest option:

As homework or during recess, have students collect natural materials from an area in their neighborhoods where birds are found. In rural areas this might be their backyards; in more urban areas this may be a park, or along the street. Tell students that collecting small pieces of trash is appropriate to the mix; birds use what is available.

With the Students:

Teach students about bird habitats and shelters.

Introduce students to tools and materials (wood, hammer, nails, screws, screwdriver, tape measure), and discuss the difference between tools and materials. As necessary, review pertinent safety precautions and tool skills.

For the birdhouse:

1. Have the (woodshop) teacher give a demonstration of and instructions for the birdhouse construction.
2. Divide the class into groups of two to four students.
3. Hand out already-cut wood pieces to the teams.
4. With a woodshop student assisting each group, have the young students nail together their birdhouses.

For the nest:

1. Brainstorm and discuss what types of objects birds might use to build their nests.
2. Looking at the model and picture of actual nests, create your own birds nests using a paper plate as a base.

Birdhouse design:

After students have constructed the birdhouses and built their nests, have them research birds of interest and design shelters that meet a particular bird's needs.

Vocabulary/Definitions

material: What things are made of (for example. a nail is a material when it is part of a birdhouse, but can be used as a tool to poke holes in things).

tool: A device used to help accomplish a specific task.

Assessment

Evaluation: Use the following guide to grade students, assuming they did all three items: nest, worksheet and birdhouse.

• 3 products completed, excellent effort = A
• 2 products completed, good effort = B
• 1 product completed, minimal effort = C
• 0 completed, no effort = F

Quiz: As an alternative post-activity assessment, ask students to write descriptions of which tools were used for which tasks in creating the nests and birdhouses.

Investigating Questions

• Why do birds need shelter?
• Compare and contrast the nest and the birdhouse.
• What materials did we use in constructing the birdhouses and nests?
• What tools did we use in constructing the birdhouses and nests?
• What safety precautions should you use when using these materials?

Activity Extensions

Have students design their own birdhouses or come up with ideas to improve the current birdhouse designs.

References

Copyright

Supporting Program