WHAT'S FOR DINNER?

AGES: 5 and up
PROJECT: Finding out how birds eat
GOAL: To understand how birds' beaks are adapted to their food

MATERIALS

Poster board
Field guide to birds
Clothespins
Partially uncoiled paper clips
Drinking straws
Shelled peanuts, raisins, candy worms, apple cider
Bowls
Stick-on labels and a pen

Throughout the animal kingdom, creatures have evolved in ways that help them take best advantage of the environment they live in. Birds are a remarkable example of this. Their feathers evolved from reptile scales; their bones became hollow to lighten the load for flying; their feet adapted to paddling, perching or climbing; and their beaks became customized for specific kinds of food.

From a bird book, copy the outlines of three bird bills onto the poster board: the strong, short bill of the seed-eating goldfinch; the daggerlike bill of the heron; and the long, slender bill of the sword-billed hummingbird. Set the board up on a table so the kids can see it clearly and place the clothespin with the goldfinch bill, the partially uncoiled paper clip with the heron bill, and the drinking straw with the hummingbird bill. Set out bowls of peanuts, raisins, candy worms and cider. Label them: The peanuts are seeds, the raisins and candy worms are insects and worms, and the cider is flower nectar. Invite the kids to pretend that they are birds using their "bills" to try grasping different kinds of food.

LOOK, MA! NO THUMBS!

AGES: 5 to 10
PROJECT: Finding out how squirrels eat
GOAL: To teach children what it would feel like to have no opposable thumbs

MATERIALS

Masking tape
Peanuts in the shell

With this activity, children get to test their dexterity, squirrel-style. How, without using their thumbs, can they crack a peanut shell and eat the nut inside? Have your child hold her hands out, palms up, and tape her thumbs to her palms, using masking tape. (Kids love this part.) Offer her a bowl of unshelled peanuts and challenge her to crack and eat them. You will be surprised by how quickly children figure out the best strategy and use their teeth to crack the shells.

MAKING TRACKS

AGES: 5 and up
PROJECT: Casting animal tracks
GOAL: To gather evidence of animal life in the wild

MATERIALS

1/2 gallon cardboard milk carton or a 2-inch-wide strip of poster board and a stapler
Scissors
Ziptop plastic bag
Plaster of Paris
Water

A wonderful way to discover the presence of animals in the wild is to find and preserve an animal track. To prepare your casting equipment, take a cardboard milk carton and cut a square, open-ended section out of its middle, about 2 to 3 inches wide. You also can cut a 2-inch-wide strip of poster board and staple its ends to make a ring. Into the ziptop bag, measure 2 cups of dry plaster of Paris.

Set out early in the day for a nature preserve or park. Choose a trail that winds along a running stream with a sandy or muddy creek bed. Caution your party to walk carefully and to keep a lookout for prints in the soft mud near the water, where animals would have come to drink earlier in the day. If you are among the first people to arrive at the creek bed, you should be able to find fresh tracks.

If you have brought a library book on tracking, try to identify the maker of the print. Carefully brush away any debris and set the mold you made around the track like a collar. Add water to the plaster in the ziptop bag, stirring with a stick, until it is the consistency of pourable mud. Quickly pour the plaster into the cardboard collar to a depth of about 1/2 inch. Let it set for 10 to 20 minutes until it is hardened, then peel the collar off and scrape dirt from the bottom of the cast.