easy paper folded doves, for Noah story or not

You need a square of paper. Any size or kind will do. You may not want to get above 9 or 10 inches as it would start to get too floppy.

Why the evergreen trees keep their leaves: a winter tree and bird tale

This story is a great one for this time of year when most of the trees save the evergreens are in their skeletal form.  A little injured bird needs a place to stay, but no one  will help her. Spruce, pine, and juniper show her kindness and offer shelter,  and for that the Frost King rewards them in kind.

One day, a long, long time ago, it was very cold; winter was coming. And all the birds flew away to the warm south, to wait for the spring. But one little bird had a broken wing and could not fly. He did not know what to do. He looked all round, to see if there was any place where he could keep warm. And he saw the trees of the great forest.“Perhaps the trees will keep me warm through the winter,” he said.

So he went to the edge of the forest, hopping and fluttering with his broken wing. The first tree he came to was a slim silver birch.

“Beautiful birch-tree,” he said, “will you let me live in your warm branches until the springtime comes?”

“Dear me!” said the birch-tree, “what a thing to ask! I have to take care of my own leaves through the winter; that is enough for me. Go away.”

The little bird hopped and fluttered with his broken wing until he came to the next tree. It was a great, big oak-tree.

“O big oak-tree,” said the little bird, “will you let me live in your warm branches until the springtime comes?”

“Dear me,” said the oak-tree, “what a thing to ask! If you stay in my branches all winter you will be eating my acorns. Go away.”

So the little bird hopped and fluttered with his broken wing till he came to the willow-tree by the edge of the brook.

“O beautiful willow-tree,” said the little bird, “will you let me live in your warm branches until the springtime comes?”

“No, indeed,” said the willow-tree; “I never speak to strangers. Go away.”

The poor little bird did not know where to go; but he hopped and fluttered along with his broken wing. Presently the spruce-tree saw him, and said, “Where are you going, little bird?”

“I do not know,” said the bird; “the trees will not let me live with them, and my wing is broken so that I cannot fly.”

“You may live on one of my branches,” said the spruce; “here is the warmest one of all.”

“But may I stay all winter?”

“Yes,” said the spruce; “I shall like to have you.”

The pine-tree stood beside the spruce, and when he saw the little bird hopping and fluttering with his broken wing, he said, “My branches are not very warm, but I can keep the wind off because I am big and strong.”

So the little bird fluttered up into the warm branch of the spruce, and the pine-tree kept the wind off his house; then the juniper-tree saw what was going on, and said that she would give the little bird his dinner all the winter, from her branches. Juniper berries are very good for little birds.

The little bird was very comfortable in his warm nest sheltered from the wind, with juniper berries to eat.

The trees at the edge of the forest remarked upon it to each other:

“I wouldn’t take care of a strange bird,” said the birch.

“I wouldn’t risk my acorns,” said the oak.

“I would not speak to strangers,” said the willow. And the three trees stood up very tall and proud.

That night the North Wind came to the woods to play. He puffed at the leaves with his icy breath, and every leaf he touched fell to the ground. He wanted to touch every leaf in the forest, for he loved to see the trees bare.

“May I touch every leaf?” he said to his father, the Frost King.

“No,” said the Frost King, “the trees which were kind to the bird with the broken wing may keep their leaves.”

So North Wind had to leave them alone, and the spruce, the pine, and the juniper-tree kept their leaves through all the winter. And they have done so ever since.

(Adapted from Florence Holbrook’s A Book of Nature Myths. (Harrap & Co. 9d.))

from How to Tell Stories to Children, and Some Stories to Tell , by Sara Cone Bryant

 

Saint Francis & the birds

We are studying the lives of the saints. This week we studied Francis. I chose to do this in winter so that we could tie in many of the winter birds crafts with this lesson. There are many wonderful Francis stories.

I have been using the book “Brother Sun, and Sister Moon”  by Margaret Mayo to learn the Francis stories.  I like it very much, and it is easily found in a local library. 

making pine cone bird feeders

The air is cold, the worms are hid

for the robin what can be done?

Let us make some pine cone feeders

so he may eat until winter’s gone.

 

We are working on the lives of saints. This week I told the story of Saint Francis & the birds. We made some simple pine cone bird feeders with pine cones, peanut butter, and birdseed, and hung them in front of all of the windows so that we could see the birds. DD spent about half an hour today just watching the differnt birds who came to feast.  Most of you I’m sure have seen these before. If not all you do is smear the cone with the p-nut butter, and then roll in bird seed. I give my daughter all of the supplies on an old baking pan, and when we are done there is very little mess to clean up. She loves making these, and the birds love eating them.

 

 

A bird poem by Walter de la Mare

Song of Enchantment

by Walter de la Mare

A Song of Enchantment I sang me there, In a green – green wood, by waters fair, Just as the words came up to me I sang it under the wildwood tree. Widdershins turned I, singing it low, Watching the wild birds come and go; No cloud in the deep dark blue to be seen Under the thick-thatched branches green. Twilight came – silence came; The planet of Evening’s silver flame; By darkening paths I wandered through Thickets trembling with drops of dew. But the music is lost and the words are gone Of the song I sang as I sat alone, Ages and ages have fallen on me - On the wood and the pool and the elder tree

The little bird king: a story and art lesson

Today I have a story and art project for you. The story is adapted

from a Grimm’s tale. It is about how the humble wren became

the king of the birds. The art project was meant to go along

with the story. It includes water color painting, cutting, and pasting.

Enjoy!

The little bird king

It’s all going to the birds!

                                                            

Today we went to the beach to play and observe animals. We are working on a science unit that includes animals & their structures.  We mostly saw birds. Just the usual suspects, gulls, crows, and pigeons. We discussed how they are unique & why they adapted to become what they are. Tomorrow we will have a story about birds & a craft to tie it all together. I will post the story & craft also. It was a beautiful 90 degree day. We also collected sand to make homemade sandpaper with. I will do a how to post about making sandpaper next week when we do a week of Michaelmas activities.                                                               

 After the beach we went for a nature walk by the marsh where we met this perfectly adapted fellow in the picture below.

We looked a tiny hermit crabs & oysters, and talked about how their shells provide shelter & protection from creatures like this egret who would love to gobble them up.