25 Creative & Educational Ways to Use BIRDLORE in the Classroom
Because reading is just the beginning.
Happy news! As of March 18th, BIRDLORE: THE IRIDESCENT LIFE OF FLORENCE MERRIAM BAILEY is out in the world!
You can check it out here and be sure to click 'look inside'!
One of the best things about writing children's books (especially books about nature, science, and amazing women) is knowing that the conversation rarely (if ever!) ends with the book itself.
When you're talking about topics like this, why stop at reading, right?
Whether you’re a teacher, librarian, homeschooler, or parent, BIRDLORE opens the door to learning about birds, science, and inspiring female role models. There are so many ways to expand discussions with this book, and I want to make it as easy as possible for you to take it and run, shaping dialogues with your readers.
To help, I've brainstormed a list of 25 fun, inexpensive, and easy-to-try activities that help kids dive deeper into the book’s themes. These ideas build skills in science, literacy, art, movement, and critical thinking—while keeping things fun!
Let's get to it:
1. Make a Birdwatching Journal
Encourage your readers to observe and document the birds they spot around them, just like Florence! They can sketch birds, note behaviours, and track sightings over time. This is an easy one to adapt to make more or less complicated, too.
👉 What they’ll learn: Observation skills, data collection, and nature journaling.
💡 Why it’s great: Fosters patience, attention to detail, and encourages outdoor exploration.
Bonus: If you don't have access to nature spaces, you can watch this livecam of bald eagles and do a similar activity!
2. Adopt-a-Bird Biography Project
Each student “adopts” a bird species and creates a mini biography including its habitat, diet, and fun facts. Let them present to the group or make bird trading cards! (Everyone loves trading cards!)
👉 What they’ll learn: Research skills, public speaking, and empathy for wildlife.
💡 Why it’s great: Promotes deep knowledge and presentation practice in an engaging way.
3. Women in STEM Time Capsules
Kids can write journal entries in character as Florence Bailey (or another trailblazing woman they'd like to explore! I've got several you can choose from here) , imagining her discoveries and dreams for the future.
👉 What they’ll learn: Historical context, empathy, and creative writing.
💡 Why it’s great: Helps students connect emotionally with real-life role models and understand perseverance.
4. The Quintessential Backyard Bird Feeder Experiment
A classic for a reason! Set up different bird feeders somewhere accessible and track which birds visit which foods. Kids can hypothesize, observe, and present findings.
👉 What they’ll learn: Scientific method, data analysis, and ecology.
💡 Why it’s great: Turns the backyard (or schoolyard) into a living laboratory for real science exploration.
5. Bird Nest Engineering Challenge
Provide natural materials and challenge kids to build a sturdy bird’s nest. Test how much weight it can hold (think marbles or small stones). Googling some real life images of the variety of bird nests can give them ideas, too.
👉 What they’ll learn: STEM engineering skills, problem-solving, and teamwork.
💡 Why it’s great: Hands-on, tactile learning builds critical thinking and understanding of animal adaptations.
6. Migration Mapping Adventure
Choose a handful of migratory birds and help kids find migration maps. Using these maps, kids can chart bird migration routes and explore the hazards birds face on the journey. Incorporate physical movement (follow the path in class!).
👉 What they’ll learn: Geography, animal behavior, and environmental science.
💡 Why it’s great: Connects kids with global ecosystems and environmental stewardship.
7. Bird-Themed Storytime Yoga
Create simple yoga poses inspired by birds—stretch like an eagle, balance like a heron! Include bird facts with each movement. (They don't need to be the poses that are already established!) Bonus points for being calming, which is always needed in 2025.
👉 What they’ll learn: Body awareness, coordination, and calming mindfulness.
💡 Why it’s great: Integrates movement with science for a fun, kinesthetic learning break.
8. Birdsong Poetry Writing
Listen to bird calls (local or exotic) and have kids write poems imagining what the birds are saying or feeling. Encourage sensory details and imagination. You can share some tidbits about each of the birds and invite them to create "Symphony Sheets" about each species, too.
👉 What they’ll learn: Creative writing, listening comprehension, and expressive language.
💡 Why it’s great: Builds literary skills while encouraging empathy and observation.
9. Creative Storytelling: A Bird’s Life
Students write a story from the perspective of a bird, incorporating facts about its habits, migration, or survival challenges. Depending on their ages, you can also write a fictional story that involves two bird buddies - no science needed!
👉 What they’ll learn: Narrative writing, research, and empathy.
💡 Why it’s great: Strengthens storytelling while applying science facts in fun ways.
10. Feather Science Station
Do you have a few feathers you've collected over the years? Set up a display of feathers (or images) and magnifying glasses. Let kids explore why birds have different feather types (flight, warmth, display).
👉 What they’ll learn: Adaptations, comparative anatomy, and scientific observation.
💡 Why it’s great: Encourages hands-on discovery and introduces kids to form and function in biology.
11. Conservation Hero Posters
I remember doing a similar art activity in class when I was a kid, and I absolutely loved it. After learning about the Florence and her birds from the book, have kids create poster campaigns to protect birds or their habitats. They can make a bird poster, or a Florence poster! (Of course, feel free to use Devon's extraordinary illustrations as inspiration!)
👉 What they’ll learn: Environmental advocacy, design skills, and persuasive communication.
💡 Why it’s great: Inspires civic action and raises awareness about conservation.
12. DIY Binocular Craft & Bird Safari
Can't have an activity roundup without some glue and cardboard, right? Make a set of simple binoculars from cardboard tubes, then send kids on a “bird safari” around the yard or classroom. Provide a checklist of birds to “spot.” (You can hide or tuck some printed bird images throughout the room!)
👉 What they’ll learn: Observation skills, fine motor skills, and scientific curiosity.
💡 Why it’s great: Encourages imaginative play while reinforcing bird identification.
13. Backyard (or Classroom) Bird Café
Create a simple bird café with different feeding stations and chart which birds prefer each food over a few days or weeks.
👉 What they’ll learn: Hypothesis testing, data collection, and species diversity.
💡 Why it’s great: Makes ecology personal and introduces kids to citizen science.
14. Citizen Science Challenge
Encourage students to join platforms like eBird or Project FeederWatch to contribute their observations to real-world science projects. If not age appropriate, walk them through the process and then create a version in your classroom!
👉 What they’ll learn: Data collection, digital citizenship, and community science.
💡 Why it’s great: Empowers kids to contribute to meaningful research and builds stewardship.
15. Migration Movement Game
Set up a movement-based game where kids “migrate” along a path and face obstacles (weather, predators) through chance cards. Some kids can be birds, some kids can be obstacles. Expect some chaos with this one, but it's worth it!
👉 What they’ll learn: Ecosystem dynamics, cause and effect, and empathy for wildlife.
💡 Why it’s great: Turns complex science into active, memorable learning.
16. Nature Art: Build a Bird
Why stop with Build-a-Bear? Have kids collect natural materials and design their own bird sculptures or collages, drawing inspiration from birds in the book.
👉 What they’ll learn: Observation, artistic expression, and anatomy.
💡 Why it’s great: Fosters creativity and deepens awareness of the natural world.
17. Bird Adaptation Dress-Up
Use craft supplies to create costumes, models, or masks showing how birds are adapted for flight, feeding, or camouflage (think wing capes, beak masks, etc).
👉 What they’ll learn: Adaptations, biomimicry, and presentation skills.
💡 Why it’s great: Blends science with performance and boosts engagement.
18. Bird Behaviour Charades
Act out different bird behaviours (nest building, courtship dances, hunting, feeding babies) and let others guess which bird it is. (Tip: Start with a LIST of birds that everyone can see, and then give them some options that way!)
👉 What they’ll learn: Behaviour observation, non-verbal communication, and teamwork.
💡 Why it’s great: Active play makes science concepts stick while encouraging group participation.
19. Bird Detective Mystery
Create a simple mystery game where kids have to figure out which bird is missing based on clues about habitat, food, and behavior. Like the above activity, it helps to start with a predetermined list of options that kids can choose from, using the process of elimination.
👉 What they’ll learn: Critical thinking, deductive reasoning, and species facts.
💡 Why it’s great: Turns learning into a mystery-solving adventure that builds logic skills.
20. Backyard Sound Mapping
One of my favourites! Sit quietly in nature and have kids map the sounds they hear (birds, insects, wind). Compare maps and discuss what different sounds can tell us about an environment. If you're not near a nature space, you can also use a Youtube video -- just search for 'birdsong + [type of environment]".
👉 What they’ll learn: Sensory awareness, mapping, and acoustic ecology.
💡 Why it’s great: Builds mindfulness and encourages focused observation of the natural world.
21. Birds & Words: Collaborative Poem
Start a collaborative poetry session where each student adds a line to a group poem inspired by birds from the book. You can set themes like migration, flight, or birdsong. Try call-and-response poems or shape poems (poems written in the shape of a bird -- this is super fun!).
👉 What they’ll learn: Creative writing, collaboration, and expressive language.
💡 Why it’s great: Builds community, encourages poetic thinking, and celebrates each student's unique voice.
22. Bird-Inspired Mindfulness Mandalas
Provide some quick templates from the web or blank paper and let kids design bird-themed mandalas using shapes like feathers, wings, and eggs. Play gentle bird sounds while they work to create a calming, mindful art space. This is a nice one to pull out on a Friday afternoon when you need some silence. 😉
👉 What they’ll learn: Focus, symmetry, and mindfulness.
💡 Why it’s great: Encourages relaxation, fine motor skills, and reflective thinking.
23. Nature Journaling: The Inner Bird
Guide kids through a reflective journaling session where they write about which bird they’d be and why. Prompt them to think about: What would they see from the sky? How would they feel in their feathers? Where would they fly and what would they explore? What would they want people to know about them?
👉 What they’ll learn: Self-expression, empathy, and descriptive writing.
💡 Why it’s great: Builds creative confidence and connects personal identity with nature exploration.
24. Soundscape Storytelling
Play recordings of different bird habitats (wetlands, forests, grasslands) and have kids close their eyes and imagine a story set there. Then, they can write or draw their story, focusing on sounds as inspiration—what do they hear? How does it shape the setting?
👉 What they’ll learn: Sensory storytelling, environmental awareness, and imaginative writing.
💡 Why it’s great: Encourages deep listening, mindfulness, and setting development in storytelling.
25. Dream Bird Sculptures
Another one I remember doing as a kid! Invite kids to design and create their own dream bird species using clay, paper mâché, or drawing. Encourage them to think about: What adaptations would it have? What message would it bring to the world? How would it inspire people to protect nature? (Have them give a reason for their choices!)
👉 What they’ll learn: Design thinking, creativity, and understanding of adaptations.
💡 Why it’s great: Blends artistic skills with conservation ideas and fosters imaginative problem-solving.
Writing a book is always a strange experience. You have your hopes and dreams about how you think it will turn out, but there are so many people involved that you never quite know how it will land!
I've been fortunate that every one of my books has exceeded my hopes, and I am so proud of how BIRDLORE turned out -- and I can't wait for you to read it!
Through these 25 creative activities, your readers won’t just read about birds and an amazing woman of science—they’ll experience, observe, and create, just like real scientists and explorers.
Encourage kids to get curious, take notes, ask questions, and engage with the natural world. Not only is nature incredibly grounding (which is so needed right now!), but it's also full of inspiration, no matter what your kids are into.
Have you tried any of these activities? Drop me an email and let me know!
Happy reading!
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