Fun Friday: Build a Nest

Fun Friday activities are quick-and-simple ways to explore nature in your own backyard.

We’ve had birds on the brain for weeks now, so I suppose it was inevitable that eventually we’d try our hand at creating a nest. We haven’t had any luck seeing one up close, but we have noticed a ton of large nests in the trees right in front of our house.

We decided it might be fun to turn our usual neighborhood walk into a search for items from nature that could be used to build a nest.

The gathering was fun, between discussing what materials might work best to discovering special spaces around the neighborhood where sticks, pine needles and other “nest worthy” items were plentiful.

We looked to the nests in nearby trees for inspiration for the right size and shape for ours.

When we’d finished, we decided to leave our little creation on our front lawn in the hopes that some of our resident birds might make use of the items we gathered just for them. And every morning, the kids were anxious to see if anything had been taken. (Sadly, nothing had – the birds would have preferred we placed our nest higher up.)

Take-Home Tips 

• Use nearby nests as inspiration. Observe the size and shape of the nests you see. Search online to get a better view of what types of items are used.

• Turn your nest into a resource for backyard birds. Stuff a mesh onion bag with your creation (like this one), hang it in a tree and wait. 

More Ideas for Winter Outdoor Fun

• Make snow cakes.
• Take a rainy day nature walk.
• Enjoy dinner outside – no matter the weather!
• Go on a winter nature scavenger hunt.
• Or try one of these 30 Ideas for Winter Backyard Nature Fun.

And if you live in the Los Angeles area, come join our family nature club at The Arboretum! We’re planning a color walk through the gardens to welcome in spring — and we’ll also enjoy a kid’s drumming session as part of the 2011 Los Angeles Environmental Education Fair. Sat., March 12 at 10:30 a.m.

Happy exploring!