Monday, August 20, 2012

Blue Jay Dissection

Image(s): FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Monday is errand day for us, yuck. But on the way home from our final errand I spotted a road kill bird and since we just happened to pick up about 35 books on birds at the library for next months unit study I couldn't resist....yup I bagged it. The bird was located just around the corner from our home so we parked the car at the apartment and then took a short walk to where I saw the bird. Turns out it was a Blue Jay...pretty cool right?  It was laying in a turning lane on the road so while the kids waited on the sidewalk I cautiously picked it up using a grocery bag. I also collected a few pretty blue feathers that were laying nearby too. It was pretty decomposed already but it was still an opportunity to get in some science learning fun. We took the bird out on the balcony, grabbed the goggles, magnifying glass, baggies, a few tools and then had fun exploring. All of the bones were too brittle to preserve but we did manage to save a foot, the beak, wings and some feathers. I bagged the items and will be following the directions from this website to preserve them for our bird board.


So have you ever explored or dissected dead critters?



Linking up with:
Educating Laytons

3 comments:

Carla said...

Kathy, I'm so glad I came across your blog--I'm your newest follower! We're homeschooling too! I'm afraid I'm too germaphobic to go anywhere near roadkill, but we have had some interesting insect dissections. ;) Anyways, we're also working on a bird unit right now--I've posted a few bird things recently on my Preschool Powol Packets blog. I can't wait to get to know you better!

Beth said...

I don't think I could do this - too squimish =-) But I think it is such an AMAZING learning opportunity for your kids! You are amazing for presenting this educational opportunity for your kids. And how CUTE do they look in their lab glasses =-)
Thanks for linking up to TGIF! Have a great week =-)
Beth

Rebecca English said...

I bet they learned a lot from this.

Thanks for linking to e Sunday showcase.

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