Nest Building Time

My son is only two years old, but he is already fascinated with nature and the Great Outdoors.  He notices flowers and bugs and birds and trees and all the little things that I tend to walk by without noticing.  Trying to see the world through his eyes has made me a better observer, too.  I love to watch him play in the yard, as I can see the wonder on his face as he attempt to "take it all in."  This time outdoors has become very special to us both.  So, I never want to miss an opportunity to turn our time outdoors into a fun project or lesson that I hope he enjoys. 

A couple of weeks ago, he was awe stricken by some of the birds who have taken up residence in our yard.  We talked about birds and how some birds live in trees and others in special houses.  As we discussed them, I decided to have him put together a "Nest Building Basket" for the birds.  We put all types of things we thought a bird might be able to use to build a nest:  pieces of twine, twigs, fabrics and fibers, straw, etc.  We put it in a wire basket and suspended it from one of the trees in our back yard.  Imagine our delight the first time we saw a bird checking out the supplies!

Today, I was reminded of our project as I sat in my office, glanced out the window, and saw two small finches building a nest on the side of a tree amongst the ivy.  I am anxious to watch them over the course of the season, and I like to think that our Nest Building Basket helped out an equally productive bird or two in our own back yard.

Happy Spring!

Photo Courtesy of:  Squidoo