Rockin' Robins

In Art/Nature Camp, we talked about birds. We went on a hike and I gave each of the children a homemade pair of binoculars to help them with their bird watching. As we hiked around we looked for signs of birds and, of course, actual birds. Signs of birds included: bird droppings, nests, bird feeders and bird houses. I had a couple of bird identification books on hand in case we spotted birds.

Rockin' Robins--simple and fun!

We discussed what makes a bird:

• Have bills, but no teeth
• Have feathers
• Hatch from eggs
• Have wings (but not all can fly!)
• Have hollow bones
• Breathe oxygen
• Are Warm blooded

And then we talked about the parts of a bird:

• Head (with two eyes and a bill)
• Body (with feathers)
• Two Wings (more feathers)
• Two Legs and Feet

We then created Rockin' Robins. This is an easy craft that is inexpensive to make. The resulting bird easily rocks back and forth--it's up to you to sing, though! My students and my children particularly loved hearing me sing "Rockin' Robin" to them (poor guys!).

Rockin' Robins

Supplies Needed:

• One lightweight paper plate
• Pencil
• Crayons (brown and red are what we used)
• Scraps pieces of brown and yellow construction paper
• Scissors
• Glue stick
• Eyeball stickers (optional, you could use white paper and draw two eyes)
• Feathers
• 5" piece of yarn
• Tape

Directions:

1. Write your name on the side of the paper plate you would eat off of.

2. Fold the paper plate in half with the name on the inside.

3. Open up the plate and color a 1" wide border of red around the entire plate. This will be the robin's red breast and belly when the bird is finished.

4. Color the center circle of the plate brown. This will be the robin's back when the bird is finished.

5. Cut a triangle of yellow construction paper for the beak. Attach to the underside of the plate at one of the fold lines for the beak of the bird.

6. Add two eyes to your bird. I found some neat eyeball stickers in the supply closet at PMEC, but you can cut them from construction paper.

7. Cut two brown wings from construction paper and glue to each side of the bird.

8. Glue feathers to the wings and at the tail end of the bird.

9. We taped a piece of string to the underside of our birds to keep the two edges of the plate from moving apart (and make it so the robin was able to rock back and forth).

The underside view of the Robin, showing the yarn
that we taped to the bottom to keep it from flattening out.

Sing the song as your Robin rocks out!

Rockin' Robin (Excerpt)

Originally performed by Bobby Day

He rocks in the treetops all the day long

Hoppin' and a Boppin' and a-singin' his song

All the Little Birds on Jaybird Street

Love to hear the robin goin' "Tweet, Tweet, Tweet!"

Rockin' Robin

Tweet, Tweet, Tweet

Rocking Robin

Tweet, Tweet, Tweet

Go Rockin' Robin 'cause we're really gonna rock tonight!