Nature Activities for Home
Anti-Strike Decals
Take action to protect local birds by making “anti-strike” window decals.
Materials:
- Colored tissue paper, contact paper or other paper
- Markers or other decorating materials
- Safety scissors
- Scotch tape
- Bird templates
A Healthy Reminder
Some of these activities may take you out into nature. Be sure to follow the recommended health and safety guidelines, including keeping at least six feet from others and washing your hands well when you return home.
Procedure:
Begin by asking children to share some memories of birds in your neighborhood. Then ask:
- Why might our area be a good place for birds to live?
- Why might a city like New York be a good place for birds to live?
- Why might these places be dangerous?
Identify that window strikes are a serious threat to birds. It is very difficult for birds to see windows as they fly; they actually see the reflection of the outdoors in the window and think they are flying through more open air. As a result, birds can fly into windows, causing them very serious injuries. Windows injure over one billion birds each year!
Let children know that you are going to work together to make your windows bird-safe. Show them that by drawing on colorful paper and sticking it onto the inside of your windows with clear tape, they can alert birds to the presence of the windows and keep them safe.
Give children time to trace templates, cut out their decals and decorate them. Once finished, have them either tape, or if using contact paper peel and stick, them on windows.
Resources:
"Printable Bird Templates." Printable Shield Template, http://patternuniverse.com/category/bird/page/2/.