CLIP Review: The Problem with Chickens

Author: Bruce McMillan
Illustrator:  Gunnella

 

When you've just gotten interested in a story and you come to a sentence that says, "That is when the problem started," - you know you're in for a treat!

The ladies in this Icelandic village bought the chickens to solve their problems.  They never imagined the chickens would forget they were chickens and begin acting like the ladies!


"When the ladies went to a birthday party, the chickens went too. When the ladies sang to the sheep, the chickens sang too." 

Things were completely out of control.  That is when the ladies came up with a clever idea.  They knew how to get the chickens acting like chickens again. Can you guess what they did?



Coming up with a clever solution to solve a problem is always a good idea, don't you agree?

Mary Byrne Klin

3 Reasons This Month's Master Artist Makes Me Cuckoo

This month's master artist drives me cuckoo, like the "Mangrove Cuckoo" above, and I mean "cuckoo" in the nicest of ways.  His work makes my heart sing like a bird!  And his name?  Why, John James Audubon, of course!

  

Who is John James Audubon?  

Once upon a "real" time, in 1785, John James Audubon was born in Haiti.  His mom died before his first birthday.  His dad remarried and sent him to France to be raised by his step mother.  When he was 18 years old, he moved to his father's estate outside Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and lived there for a few years.  Soon, he met his beautiful wife in 1808 and they were married.  The happy couple then moved to the state of Kentucky where Audubon tried to sell things, but he also dabbled in portrait painting, gave art lessons, and did the work of a taxidermist, which means he practiced the art of preparing, stuffing, and mounting the skins of animals for display.

Twelve years later, in 1820, he met American ornithologist (a person who studies birds) whose name was Alexander Wilson.  He gave Mr. Audubon confidence in his abilities to draw birds, so with a bird song in his heart, he decided to undertake a massive publishing project, life-size illustrations of the birds of America!  Do you know how many birds are in America?  

Audubon illustrated 1065 birds!  He and other nineteenth-century bird artists did not usually draw living birds. They sketched mounted bird skins. Audubon preferred to wire recently shot birds in life-like positions and to draw them right away. To make them look like they were flying, he hung birds upside down so that the wings opened!  Even though it says "Drawn from Nature" on the plates, it doesn't mean the birdies sat for hours posing for him.  He did observe them in their natural habitat however and then worked hard both in the field and in his studio to finish all of his drawings and paintings.

Why does Audubon make me cuckoo? 

Reason #1 - PERSEVERANCE.  He decided to draw every single bird in America. I gasp at the thought of painting every single bird known to mankind.  Audubon painted 1065 birds.  That's a whole lot of birds and a whole lot of paintings!  His perseverance under great odds makes my shake my head in amazement.    

Reason #2 - ATTENTION TO DETAIL.  The 435 engravings from his book, Birds of North America, including the one above made from his watercolor drawings, show birds life-size in natural habitats.  He would need keen observation skills to complete his task of accurately depicting these beautiful birds.  

Reason #3 -  FAITH.  It took a leap of faith to take on a project of this magnitude. "Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move.  Nothing will be impossible for you."  Matthew 17:20 NIV.  John James Audubon believed he could, so he did!

REFLECTION QUESTIONS:    

1.  What kinds of character traits do you need to have to be an artist like John James Audubon?  (Perseverance, attention to detail, and faith!)

2.   How many birds did Mr. Audubon draw/paint?  (1065.  If you put his engravings from his book end to end they would span about a quarter of a mile!)

3.   Did the birds pose for him?  (No, they were "stuffed" and hung immediately so to recreate their natural habitat.

APPLICATION:
You may wish to google image search the Audubon engraving of your state bird from the internet to show your student.  Our state bird here in Florida is the Common Mockingbird (below.)  

Here are 3 facts about our Florida state bird, the Mockingbird you may share with your student along with the picture of the Mockingbird and the story of Mr. Audubon:
1.  They like to sing all day and even all night!  
2.  They are called Mockingbirds because they like to mimic the sounds of other birds, even frogs!  They learn new sounds all their lives.  
3.  Their songs are a series of phrases which are repeated 2 to 6 times before they shift to a new sound and they can go on for 20 seconds or more.   

This is a great way to make a connection with your little one to Audubon the artist, the science of birds, and a history lesson about the state they live in. You children probably have seen and/or heard these birds many times, and, now, every time they see their state bird their recollection will be refreshed as to this great artist, John James Audubon!

The funny thing is, in closing, I have been the target of many jokes in my lifetime because I was born with the last name of Bird.  "Bird Brain" is what I was endearingly called by my friends, especially when my slightly creative cuckoo-ness kicked in.  To my dad, however, I was always his little "Tweety."  When I married, it felt sad to leave my Bird identity behind, so as an artist, I decided to incorporate my identity with my new last name and thus Laura Bird Miller, Artist was born.  Lynda Bird Johnson was the reason for many of my nature paintings when I was a little girl.  If you want to find out the rest of the story and see my art go to www.laurabirdart.com.   And if you want to "tweet" with me, connect via Twitter at laurabirdtweets.  Yes, I know.  What can I say?

Enjoy and God bless!  

Laura Bird Miller, Artist/Art Instructor

  

A Legacy Moment: Build a birdhouse!

NatureSkills.com

This weekend is a great time to build your own birdhouse for the backyard.  First read this month's Chasing Fireflies book choice, Riki's Birdhouse and then gather the supplies and create your own backyard home for your feathered friends.

Birdhouse Plan from Riki's Birdhouse

Here is Mary Byrne Kline's review for Riki's Birdhouse in case you missed it.   REVIEW
I've just finished reading it to my 3 year old...for the 22nd time.  I guess it's a hit.

And if you missed our heart shaped bird feeder in March, here it is!  POST

Build-it-Yourself

Free Birdhouse Design [.pdf] 

from L & L Design Group 

Don't forget to send us a picture of your finished birdhouse; your legacy moment!

Check out the Nature Skills website for more information on birdhouses!

CLIP Review: Feathers for Lunch Review

Author & Illustrator:  Lois Ehlert

This is a book that is never read once, for as soon as it is finished you will hear, "Read it again!" 

We have a very hungry cat on the loose, determined to make lunch of some birds. He's sneaking around the backyard and his adventure is an engaging and entertaining rhyme.

            "His food in a can is tame and mild,
             so he's gone out for something wild."

Will the cat be successful in his attempts at catching a bird?

            "But cats can't fly and they can't soar,
             and birds know what their wings are for."


At first glance it may appear to simply be a short quick read, but look closely and you will find some hidden treasures.  Each bird is identified, along with the plant or shrub upon which it is resting. All birds illustrated in the story are portrayed life sized and true in their coloring.

At the end of the book the reader is given the factual treat of "The lunch that got away." These four pages are filled with information on the twelve birds our poor cat couldn't catch.

Mary Byrne Kline

Kids Krafts: A little birdie told me you'll love this easy craft!

Paper Plate Birds

Here is what you'll need:

• Paper Plates
• Paintbrushes
• Paint (Washable if you want to save yourself some heartache)
• Wiggly Eyes
• Glue 
• Construction Paper - orange for the beak and brown if you want to add little bird legs onto your project
• Newspaper to put over your workspace

First lay your newspaper out on your workspace and get your little ones busy painting 2 upside down paper plates. I wasn't paying attention and we all did ours right side up.  They'll still be adorable but I think the pieces with stick together better if they are created upside down.

My guy, Levi, took this part VERY seriously:

Seriously, probably twenty minutes achieving this perfect blend of blue and red.  Such an artist!

My big guy couldn't stop with just two:

Here are Mommy and Daddy's finished plates:

Noah shows off his masterpiece:



After the plates are dry, cut one plate in half (you'll discard half of the plate).  With the remaining 1/2, cut a larger portion for the wing, and small pieces for feathers.  Attach theses to the main "bird body" paper plate.  Glue on a wiggly eye.  From a piece of construction paper, cut out an orange beak and adhere to the bird body.

More than anything, I would love to show you the boys' finished birds but since their paper plates were so heavily saturated with paint, they weren't dry by the time dinner and bedtime rolled around.  I'll have to update this post after their assembly.  I'm sure they'll be bright, beautiful and my boys will be beaming about their beaked creations!


Author: Rachel Skvaril
Sugar Artist
Fondant Flinger

CLIP Review: Riki’s Birdhouse

Author and Illustrator: Monica Wellington

"A bird does not sing because it has an answer.
It sings because it has a song." Chinese Proverb

Riki loves to watch birds in his yard. He likes their bright colors and their cheerful songs.  This book provides the reader with his year-long journal filled with information on birds.  In September Riki begins planning how to attract birds to his yard by designing a birdhouse.  In the following months he carefully follows his plans, builds a birdhouse, then chooses a special place in his yard to mount it for returning birds in spring.  During the winter months the reader continues on Riki's journey through his journal as he awaits the arrival of the first occupants in the house he has built.  Will they be robins, sparrows, cardinals or what Riki really hopes for - bluebirds?

This book is illustrated with brilliant colors and detailed pictures that allow for much discussion in addition to the text.  Seeing the daddy and mama bird feeding worms to their babies in Riki's birdhouse while he looks on is quite an endearing picture.

The author has provided several pages of detailed information at the end of Riki's story. Step-by-step instructions on "Building a Birdhouse" are given, as well as how to "Install a Birdhouse."   You'll also read more about Birdbaths and Feeders, how to make Bird Food Cupcakes and find some helpful websites on birds and bluebirds.   Enjoy these great bird resources!

Mary Byrne Kline

Verbal Comm: Brown Bird

[Verbal Communications]

Reading poetry to young children is essential for language appreciation and development.  Even if you are not a fan of poetry, don't miss the opportunity to share its rhythm and rhyme with your children.

Brown Bird

"Little brown bird
Where do you live?
Up on yonder wood, sir,
On a hazel branch."

Author Unknown

Check out some more bird poems here.

A bird on the plate is worth two in the fridge....

Birds are a huge source of entertainment in this household.  The boys and I recently added a large birdfeeder outside our dining room window so we could keep better tabs on the neighborhood bird drama.  We live on the water and have feathered friends of all kind; from small sparrows to geese.  We even have one "city pigeon" that comes in every afternoon for his regular fly-by snack.  Our freezer always maintains extra bread for duck feedings and we have even had to start purchasing our bird seed from Sam's to keep up with the high demands of our beaked buddies.  

To say that the boys were excited to do a bird themed snack would be an understatement.  I knew we were going to have to provide some pretty incredible meals for my two bird-loving boys.  Thankfully, there was no shortage of ideas out there.  Since, we couldn't choose between a few of them, we planned a whole day of bird themed meals.  

BIRD'S NEST BREAKFAST

I found the idea for this on Pinterest and its just incredibly easy for a fast but adorable birdie breakfast for your babies.

All you'll need is:

• Bread (toasted according to your little one's preference)
• Hard boiled egg (we made this really easy by buying them right from the store)
• Teensy tiniest bit of a carrot
• Edible marker (thought you could easily use a small piece of raisin for her little eyes)

Simply cut your toast into strips.  Levi likes his with a little butter so we buttered it first.  Arrange your bread pieces in a nest shape.

Cut a small triangle shape from the end of a carrot for the birds beak and position on the egg.  With your edible marker, add two eyes.  Levi decided our bird was a girl (or "grill" as he pronounces it) so we gave her pretty little eyelashes.  

Nestle her into her little warm and "toast"-y nest and serve to your overly enthusiastic little one.

FOR SNACKTIME:

Another very easy idea for a quick snack.  

What you'll need:

• Pretzel sticks
• Grapes
• Carrot
• Edible Marker

I snapped the pretzel sticks into smaller "twigs" and just tossed them into a small bowl.  Dot little eyes on grapes and set them in their "nest".  Cut small triangles from carrots and place on the birds and you're done!  

FOR DINNER:

And finally for dinner, spaghetti noodles with bird meatballs on a celery branch.

What you'll need:

• Center stalk of celery (with the leaves on the end to look branch-like)
• Cooked spaghetti
• Meatballs or like we used, mini-hamburgers
• Mozarella Cheese
• Carrot
• Edible Marker

Place celery branch across plate, use a fork and twirl a large section of spaghetti into a nest shape.  Place noodle nest on its side.  Tuck in two meatballs or mini hamburgers into the nest.  For the eyes, I cut slices of a cheese stick and used a piping tip to make a smaller circle cut out.  You could most certainly use the entire slice though.  Add a black dot in the center of the cheese slice with an edible marker or you could use a caper, piece of black olive or a piece of raisin.  Whatever you happen to have laying around in the pantry.  Position the eyes on the meatball/ hamburger.  Cut a small triangle out of a carrot and place under eyes to form the beak.

The boys loved this idea so much that we had a version of it for dinner the next night as well.  The second night, I made a nest of rice and tucked their meat into it.  Just as easy and just as entertaining for the little ones in your life.

Contributing author: Rachel Skvaril

Sugar Artist

Fondant Flinger

May Reflections: Slightly Bird-Brained

Growing up in North Dakota and Iowa should have caused me to be a much heartier person. It didn't.  Each winter I endured the blizzards and ice storms while counting the days until once again a crocus or daffodil would peak through and announce that color was returning to my world.  Oh, what joy when the first robin was spotted!  When at last the sweet chirping of birds could be heard, I knew that warmth was returning as well.

There was, however, an unfortunate downside to my fondness for the returning bird population.  My mother was concerned that should there not be sufficient seeds, worms, etc. available upon their immediate return, I should begin taking out all leftover bread after supper each evening. This should be torn up into teensy little bits and distributed around the yard, particularly under the trees. We had trees everywhere! At first I didn't mind.  Then after about two days my teensy bits became "bits", then "chunks", and soon I just tore the pieces of bread in half, figuring those old birds could figure it out for themselves.

My next chore was to clean out the birdbath. This not only meant making sure that the water in it didn't get a layer of ice so the birdies couldn't bathe (heaven forbid we have dirty birdies!), but I was to keep the basin and water clean. Hauling water in my little bucket took a lot of time. If you've ever had a birdbath you know how gross cleaning one can be, if not, just don't ask.

The Byrne Family Home

Earlier I mentioned something about not being hearty. That also involves a real distaste for any type of bug or creepy crawly. Therefore,  my last spring bird job caused me a great deal of anxiety.  I was to  "till" a small area in our garden since the ground was still quite hard from being frozen all winter. This was to allow the birds to peck more easily for worms. You can't imagine my delight at unearthing one while digging! Yet even though I may have done my chores slightly bird-brained, our yard always abounded with birds of every color and species. For this I am eternally grateful!

How thankful I am to now be living in a year-round warm climate.  I don't tear up bread, don't own a birdbath and will never dig for worms! But I still love listening to sweet chirping, watching nests be built and catching a glimpse of a cardinal with its mate on our back fence. This month we will be sharing interesting and delightful books about birds...birds with fears, facts about birds, birdhouses and birds that teach us a wonderful lesson.  Come to think of it, I learned some pretty good lessons and facts about birds myself while doing those chores.  I sure am glad we had a big yard with so many trees!

Mary Byrne Kline