COMIDA PARA EL PENSAMIENTO

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

Grade 4 | Week 7
Developed by Caroline DeBruine

OVERVIEW

This activity introduces fourth graders to safe bird

feeding as well as positive impacts they can have
on the world around them by constructing and
implementing birdfeeders throughout their
school.

TIME: 45 MINUTES

● Introduction/Group Agreements: 10 minutes

● True or False Game: 5 minutes
● Bird Feeder Construction: 20 minutes
● Wrap Up: 10 minutes

MATERIALS

Instructor:
Bin to store bird feed
Hole punch

Students:
Toilet paper rolls
Twine/string
Bird feed
Sunflower butter
Sticks (two per student)
Plastic spoons
World Migratory Bird day bracelets
 True/False (green and red) papers

BACKGROUND

Feeding birds is most helpful at times when birds need the most energy; this
includes times of temperature extremes, migration, late winter or early spring, and
when natural resources are depleted. Some things that are appropriate to feed birds
include bird feed from the store, sunflower seeds, peanuts, cracked corn, and fruit.
Items NOT suitable and harmful to give birds include bread, chocolate, dairy, and table
scraps. These foods are not very nutritious and can even be toxic. In addition, some
household table scraps and all chocolate is toxic to birds and can be harmful if ingested.
Finally, birds are most likely to eat where they feel safe from predators (including cats),
so bird feeders should be hung above the ground.

KEYWORD TRANSLATIONS

English Spanish

Birdfeeder el comedero para pájaros

Birdseed alpiste

ACTIVITIES

Step 1: Before the Lesson ~10 minutes

● Punch two holes across from each other in the toilet paper rolls
○ The holes should be about ½ inch from the top of the roll
● On the other end of the roll, punch two holes, again aligning them so they are
across from each other
○ These will be used to hang the finished feeders

Step 2: Getting Started ~5 minutes

● Split each class into their assigned three groups
● Instruct students to form a line and quietly walk outside
○ Find a spot for your group to work
 ● Explain the activity to students
● “Today, we will be building bird feeders and hanging them around the school!
But first, we have to learn about what food birds can eat! We must give birds
easily accessible nutritious food. Some foods that we eat are not good for birds,
so we need to be careful when feeding birds”

Step 3: Group Agreements ~5 minutes

● Ask students if they can think of any group agreements we need to agree on for us
to have fun, be safe and be respectful during this lesson and while building the
bird feeders
○ After students have shared their thoughts, dive into/reemphasize the
group agreements/rules
■ Be respectful of the materials
■ Be respectful of your classmates
■ Stick with your group
■ Listen to all instructions

Step 4: True or False Game ~5 minutes

● Ask students to raise their hands if they have ever fed a bird
○ “We are going to play a true or false game to identify which foods we can
and cannot feed to birds”
● Tell students that you are going to pass out one red and one green paper to each
of them and that they should not do anything with them until you give them
instructions
● Pass out the papers
● “I am going to give you a series of foods. If you think it is safe for birds which
color paper will you hold up?”
○ Green
● “Now, what paper will you hold up if the food is unsafe for birds?”
○ Red
● “Once I ask the questions, I will count to three, and then you should all raise
whichever paper you think is correct. Remember to wait until I count before
answering! If you do not know the answer, just take a guess.”
● Read the following statements, and ask students to explain their answers before
revealing the correct answer
○ Bread is healthy and safe food for birds. False.
 ■ Bread does not contain very many nutrients that birds need. This
means they will get full fast, but they will not have the correct
nutrients.
○ It is OK to feed sunflower seeds to birds. True.
■ Seeds have many good nutrients that help birds grow and give them
the energy to migrate.
○ Chocolate is safe for birds. False.
■ Draw a comparison to giving dogs chocolate. Chocolate can be toxic
to birds and can cause lots of negative health effects (increased
heart rate, vomiting, seizures, and even death)
○ If I have leftovers from dinner, I can feed them to the birds. False.
■ Many table scraps are not healthy for birds, although some can be.
It is better to avoid feeding them to birds in case they are not safe.
○ Nuts are healthy options for birds. True.
■ Nuts (like almonds and pistachios) contain the proper nutrients
that help birds get strong enough to fly, make nests, and grow!
■ We need to ensure that these nuts do not have any flavorings or
coatings.
● “One of the best things to give birds is store-bought birdseed! We are going to
use some to build our bird feeders today.”

Step 5: Making Bird Feeders ~20 minutes

● Pass out the materials
○ Pass out one toilet paper roll, two sticks, one pre-cut string, one plastic
spoon, and a paper cup with a scoop of bird feed to each student
○ Give each small group of students (3-4) a small container of sunflower
butter
● Construct the bird feeders
○ Direct students to hold the lower part of the feeder (below the sticks)
■ Instruct students to use their plastic spoon to spread a light layer of
sunflower butter on the upper part of the toilet paper roll (making
sure not to cover the holes)
● The layer of sunflower butter does not need to be thick
○ Next, students should roll their toilet paper rolls in the bird feed
■ The back of the spoon can be used to press the bird feed into the
sunflower butter to make sure it is secure
○ Instruct students to insert their stick into each hole, going in one side and
coming out the corresponding (opposite) hole
 ■ Tell students to wiggle and push the sticks gently so the holes do
not tear or get too loose
■ Center each stick so that there is enough stick poking out for birds
to perch on
○ Tie each end of the string to the two holes at the top of the bird feeder
● Clean up
○ Have students dump out extra bird feed into the bigger bag
○ Collect paper plates, plastic spoons, and sunflower butter
● Hang the bird feeders in trees around the schoolyard or have students take them
home to hang up later!

Step 6: Program Wrap-Up ~15 minutes

● “Thank you all for being such wonderful students for the past six weeks! We are
going to take a few minutes to think about everything we learned about and all
the fun activities we did”
● Share
○ Have students share out one thing they remember learning about over the
past six weeks/any memorable moments or activities
■ Go around the circle so that each student can share
■ If a student is hesitant to answer, give them the option to “pass” and
return to them at the end after all other students have shared
○ Remind students about what they can be doing to help migratory birds in
their community
■ Dim the lights
■ Window decals
■ Only feed them appropriate food
● Thank students for participating
○ Instructors should thank the students for their participation and share
their favorite parts of the program
○ Hand out WMBD bracelets to students

SOURCES

Deanna, et al. “How to Make a Toilet Paper Roll Bird Feeder Craft.” Honey + Lime, 20
Feb. 2022,
https://www.honeyandlime.co/how-to-make-a-bird-feeder-fun-summer-crafts-f
or-kids