A Science Study In The Backyard

This spring a robin chose our front porch for her nesting place. We didn't even really notice her nest until one day she was startled by movement on the front porch. She built a nest and hatched her eggs fairly quickly. She is very protective of her babies. She dive bombs us every time we step close to her end of the porch. Today I saw three little baby bird heads bobbing up and down with their beeks wide open waiting for mommy to come feed them. It is so cute! A little bit annoying with the dive bombing mommy protecting her nest, but very cute!

We live in the middle of a small forest so we have a lot of wildlife in our backyard including a wide variety of birds. I've been taking photos and journaling about the robin nesting on my porch. It would be a great project for a home school family.

It is fairly easy to attract birds to your backyard garden area. They need water, food, and shelter. Attracting birds to your own backyard is a good unit study for home school families. For example, building a bird house involves math skills, following instructions, and reading blueprints. How involved you get with the project is up to you. I have a friend with a back yard habitat recognized by the national wildlife federation. It is a beautiful garden area but it takes a lot more effort than my own backyard science project.

There are many books and websites about attracting birds to your backyard. Here are a couple of websites I found helpful: Backyard Nature, Backyard Birding - Baltimore Birding Club, Birds Forever