Inspiration and resources to empower creative and meaningful home learning.
©2020 The Drawing Class
For my high school graduation present, my grandparents invited me to visit them in Alaska. It was on that trip that I saw the most breathtaking view of my entire life. I stepped into their church on Sunday morning, only to be washed in the majesty of creation as a gazed through the two 30-foot-tall windows placed on either side of the pulpit. The mountains jutted up right behind the church and through each window I could see a thin waterfall streaming down the cliff, lined with scattered trees and a light dusting of fog and mist. And there, as if to punctuate the scene, were bald eagles soaring two and fro amidst the beauty of it all. If you asked me if I heard the sermon, I'd have to tell you, no. But I definitely worshiped God as the Creator of such a glorious world with awestruck wonder like never before.
It's no wonder the bald eagle was chosen as the national bird of the United States. They are almost magical to see as they glide through the skies. Their strength, power, beauty, and dominance of the air definitely command attention that would make a symbolic statement.
In week 3 of the Bird Unit Study (If you missed the other weeks, they're right here.), we are diving in to studying about the bald eagle. Your students will enjoy learning the parts of a bird as they draw this amazing raptor. I've taught it step-by-step so that every student can feel successful. Access the tutorial here.
Did you know that a bald eagle's nest can be as much as 8 feet deep? These birds keep adding to their nests year after year until either the bird dies or the tree falls over from the weight of the nest (which can be over a ton!). Grab a bag and encourage your kids to build a nest of their own with some common nest materials! You can take a nature walk and do a scavenger hunt to collect the materials from nature, just like a bird would do.
When my students did this, we held a contest to see whose nest could hold the most amount of pennies without falling apart. We gathered all of our supplies from the scavenger hunt (except I let them use three dots of hot glue in place of mud), and began creating our own nests. Their appreciation for the wonders of nature came to life in statements like "Wow - bird do this just with a beak?!" "This is harder than it looks!" "How do I make a circle out of sticks?!"
It was great fun, and we were all impressed with how our nests held up under the weight of the pennies.
I've included the scavenger hunt printable as well as a ton of other fun ideas in the resource bundle. Grab yours below. You're going to love what I've included.