Bird-Nest Engineering Firm
Log in to saveKids build a nest from natural materials and put it through wind, rain, and weight tests. It's a hands-on way to appreciate how cleverly real birds engineer their homes.
Choose your version
Every level teaches the same core idea — pick the one that fits your time, budget, and energy today.
Setup
Gather twigs, grass, modeling clay and clear a small work surface. Read the Bird-Nest Engineering Firm mission aloud, then place the supplies where children can choose and compare them safely.
Activity
- Study pictures of real bird nests and predict which materials will hold together best.
- Build a nest around a small cup using twigs, mud, and grass for structure.
- Test the nest with a toy egg's weight and a simulated rain shower, discovering it falls apart, then reinforce the weak spots.
- Present the finished nest holding its eggs safely through wind and rain tests.
Done when: Children complete the core mission and the finished nest holding its eggs safely through wind and rain tests.
Materials
Twigs, mud or clay, grass or yarn, a small cup as a base, a spray bottle for rain
Shown for the Quick Start version — switch tabs above to see what changes.
Steps
- Study pictures of real bird nests and predict which materials will hold together best.
- Build a nest around a small cup using twigs, mud, and grass for structure.
- Test the nest with a toy egg's weight and a simulated rain shower, discovering it falls apart, then reinforce the weak spots.
- Present the finished nest holding its eggs safely through wind and rain tests.
Standards it satisfies
NGSS · 1-LS1-1
Use materials to design a solution to a human problem by mimicking how plants and/or animals use their external parts to help them survive, grow, and meet their needs.