Hello Friends! The week of the Nest arrived with one of our last big hurrahs before the summer heat descended upon us. We spent the majority of this week outside enjoying the “less hot than whats about to come” weather.

Of course, everywhere we went we had to search for nests! We found squirrel nests and waterbird nests of all kinds. Our favorite was found tucked among the reeds during a particularly long hike at the beginning of the week. The nest was empty, only bits of downy fluff remained behind, but it was an exciting find!

We also found a bunny nest at a friend’s farm with day old bunnies tucked inside.

We did our big nest activity from the MFW handbook. I brought out a load of fresh laundry and allowed my youngest sons to make a nest and then I fed them gummy worms straight from my mouth to theirs while they chirped. It was fun!

I also prepared the K table with some new goodies. I set out a few of our favorite books about birds and nests including Mel Boring’s “Birds, Nests and Eggs” and Diane Hutton’s “A Nest is Noisy.” I put out a small basket of ribbon scraps for the boys to build their own nests with. The backyard birds toob and a few other bird toobs were set out as well. We used Nature’s Anatomy once more, along with several Golden Guides and a few guidebooks from our region along with plenty of colored pencils and watercolors.

I put out the old nest poster my Dad found at an estate sale last winter and my second born brought out his little brother’s playsilk and used it to display a nest we found on the ground last year.

We also used three part bird cards to help us identify more of the birds in our backyard. You can google the above term and find any number of free resources. Here is one we like.

I have also previously compiled resources and ideas about birdwatching in the past. Find our post here.

On our last night, I pulled out our plexiglass easel and he had fun with a mixed media “stain glass” painting. The paint is a mixture of tempura and dish soap which cleans off easily once its dry. He taped some ferns to the back of the easel to use as templates for his painting. He also used paint brushes and feathers to make his painting of a bird’s nest in the woods. It was a great night with lots of creative freedom for him. No other siblings allowed in the room, he had the full run of the space and he enjoyed that greatly.

This week we also worked on taking care of our own nest. He swept, dusted, scrubbed toilets, cleared the dishes and loaded them in the dishwasher and helped put away his clothes. Great nesting!

Stay tuned for Tt-Turtle!!!