Make Window Decals to Help Migrating Birds
Is your child interested in exploring nature? Learning about the plants and animals that live in your area is a great way to encourage an interest in while building important life long skills in science, technology, engineering, art, and math (which is also known as STEAM)! Being a creative problem-solver means using all these tools to take care of our environment.
In fact, there are many people who have jobs to take care of animals that live in your community. Animal rescuers, wildlife caretakers, animal researchers, wildlife conservationists, and wildlife veterinarians are some of the many job opportunities help protect the habitats and animals living outside our home. They also need our help to keep animals safe. For example, we can help keep migrating birds safe. Sometimes they see reflections in glass windows and think they can fly right into them! You and your child can explore ways that people can help migrating birds by playing Cyberchase’s Duck Dash game.
More importantly, you can take action as a family to keep migrating birds safe from flying into your house windows. One solution is to cover the glass with window decals that break up the reflections and make it clear to the birds that there is an obstacle in their way.
Follow the steps below to create decals to use on your windows at home. As you paint, discuss with your child what animals are important to them and brainstorm creative ideas for how to keep those animals safe. After you put up your decals, help your child become a wildlife caretaker and animal researcher by investigating the species of birds that migrate through your community and learning what time of year they visit.
Materials
Directions
Pour 2 tablespoons of glue and ¼ teaspoon liquid dish soap into a container for each color decal you’d like to make.
Add a few drops of food coloring into each container to create different colors. Stir each container until the color is mixed in completely.
Use your paintbrush to paint designs with the colored glue mixture on your plastic sheet. Keep the designs thick enough that they won’t break when you peel them off. They might spread out a little as they dry so leave space in between your decals.
If you have cookie cutters, you can also pour the colored glue mixture into the cookie cutters to create specific shapes.
Allow the decals to dry overnight.
Slowly peel the decals off the plastic and press them on to the inside of your window. They can be peeled off when you are finished with them.
To help migrating birds, keep decals a few inches apart across wide window spaces so that birds don’t accidentally fly into the clean glass.
Want more CYBERCHASE activities? Try building a better bunny-copter or play “Chomp, Nibble, Grow, Grow” to continue the fun!
Emotions & Self-Awareness
Social Skills
Character
Science
- Activity Type
- Craft
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