Flight Explorers Bundle
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Introduction
Voting for Bird of the Year has started and World Habitat Day falls on the 5th of October. In light of this we are looking at the different construction methods of bird nests and then using this knowledge to build our own versions. This is a fantastic hands-on STEM engineering challenge for tamariki (and their parents if they want to get involved)! The goal of the activity is to build a cup/bowl structure using natural materials foraged from around your home, park or school. This structure needs to safely hold a few “eggs” without using any modern adhesives like glue or tape.
What You Will Need:
Structural Elements (the foundation) – Twigs, small sticks, thick stems
Binding and Weaving (the framing) – Long grasses, pine needles, long flexible vines, old garden string or vines
Lining the nest (Interior fit out) – Moss, dry leaves, feathers, pet fur or wool
Optional binding – Mud or clay (some birds use these to help anchor their nests to building structures or trees)
The egg - you can use chicken eggs (ask your parents first, you could even hard boil first so not to risk cracking and wasting an egg), otherwise a golf ball, small round rocks or marbles also work well.
Step 1:
Research – Before designing or building anything, engineers need to understand what problems they need to solve to make everyday life safer, faster, and easier. Next they must consider what materials they have at hand to achieve their solution. Birds are natural engineers! Investigate how different birds make their nests, looking closely at the details. Investigate what materials they use, their shape and how they keep the egg safe from predators, weather, and gravity!
Step 2:
Design – Sketch out a plan of how you might achieve this. How will you make the nest strong? How will you keep the egg warm and protect it from cracking? How will you keep it from rolling out?
Step 3:
Foundation – Intertwine and interlock long, strong materials to form your base or foundation of the nest. You can start to use some of the binding materials to help hold them together by weaving them through the sticks.
Step 4:
Lining – continue to add to the walls, making them stronger and using more lining materials such as the pine needles and/or grass.
Step 5:
Interior Fit Out – Time to make the nests comfortable, warm and soft to help protect the egg from cracking and the cold. Press in moss, wool and/or feather to create a nice cushion effect.
Extra for Experts!
Testing time – Place your “egg” in the nest. Now we need to test the nests integrity
Tilt – if you tilt the nest slightly does the egg roll out?
Strength – If you place more “eggs” into the nest can it hold the extra weight
Resistance to Elements – Lightly shake the nest to imitate wind. Does the nest hold? What about if the nest falls out of the tree and lands on soft grass/dirt, has it held together?
Reflect
- What worked well and what could you improve?
- Do you think you could build this with a beak?
- Are there other animals that you can think of that use engineering to form their homes?
- Think of how your house is constructed and what materials are used for each stage.
Purpose and Connection
There are countless examples of engineering all around us, both man-made and by animals.
Beavers build dams to control water and create safe habitats; spiders construct webs to catch food, rabbits dig burrows for shelter, and ants create complex underground homes. Each animal uses the materials available in its environment to solve problems and meet its needs.
By taking on this challenge, tamariki become engineers themselves. They use observation, creativity, problem-solving, and an understanding of materials and structures to design, build and test a nest using only natural materials. Just like a bird, we need to think about what materials are available, how those materials can be joined together, and how the shape and structure of the nest can provide strength and protection.
This activity helps tamariki make a connection between the natural world and the world of human engineering. From birds building nests and beavers building dams to humans constructing houses, bridges and tunnels, engineers identify problems, choose materials, test ideas and make improvements.
Encourage tamariki to look around and ask: What evidence of animal engineering can you find? What is being built, why is it designed in this way, what problem are they solving, and what can we learn from our natural neighbours with which we share this planet and its resources?
STEM isn't just something we learn about - engineering is happening all around us!
CREATE, EXPERIMENT, COMPETE!
Science Alive's monthly competition using the latest resource is designed to inspire kids to get creative, explore science, and showcase their amazing creations. This is a fantastic opportunity for young innovators to share their ideas, celebrate their achievements, and even win exciting rewards.
Get involved, get experimenting and creating, while letting your imagination shine — we can’t wait to see what you create!
