Bird Lapbook

Liana finished her study of birds and completed her lapbook. She said, "I'm sad it's done because I enjoyed working on it." I told her she can make many more lapbooks in the future.

Liana's book answers these questions: Why did God make birds? What helps a bird to fly? What makes a bird a bird? How does a bird know witch way to go? Why is a girl bird so plane? (I don't make corrections on her lapbook. This is her creative work.)

Liana has information on how birds are classified in the animal kingdom. She has a diagram of the inside of an egg, pictures of different nests and which birds make them. She has pictures and descriptions of different types of feathers. The most fun we had on our bird study was to actually watch the birds at our feeder. Liana began her "life list" of birds and she made drawings of them in a chamois-covered journal. (Like John James Audubon did.) But for the lapbook we photocopied pictures and identifying features into a section called "Birds in Our Backyard." She listed 14 birds! We never knew before we had such a variety.

Our main text on birds was Jeannie Fulbright's Flying Creatures of the Fifth Day. From the author's website we printed a page called "Migration Route of the ______." The page has a place to glue a picture and space for a short report, plus a map to chart the route. Liana chose the puffin and the arctic tern to study.

The importance of this lapbook is that Liana knows her book. She can easily explain all the information to anyone who would take the time to listen. She is proud of her work and is excited about learning. A lapbook is a great teaching tool for right-brained, hands-on learners.

In addition to our textbook, we used:

How Do Birds Find Their Way? by Roma Gans

Science and Nature Guides: Birds World Book

Eyewitness Books: Bird DK

The Boy Who Drew Birds by Jacqueline Davies

Mr. Popper's Penguins by Richard and Florence Atwater

Night of the Pufflings by Bruce McMillan

Ducks and Ducklings by Anita Ganeri

Woodpeckers by Julie Murray