Fall is such a lovely time of year to pay attention to seasonal changes like migrating birds, colorful leaves, and insects taking their last flights in the cooling days. This month at ALNC, we’d like to encourage you to visit our exhibits and grounds, learn about Earth’s cycles and phenology, and use some fun new […]
After-School Nature Club has been working on an avian paper-mache project!![]()
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Before beginning, the students learned about birds that stay here during winter and birds that complete migration. Then, the children looked through bird books and picked a bird they wanted to sculpt. ![]()
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The Environmental Educators explained the different steps necessary to complete their birds, which became a multi-week project:![]()
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- Week 1: The students discussed the shapes that make up the bird's body and drew a picture using the general shapes of their bird (circle for heads, triangle for beaks, oval or circle for body, and rectangles for necks).![]()
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- Week 2: The children used newspaper and masking tape to build the head and body of the bird by crumpling newspaper into balls and securing it with tape, adding layers until reaching the desired shapes.![]()
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- Week 3: The group used wheat paste to stick long strips of newspaper over the birds and give them a hard exterior.![]()
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- Week 4-5: With the help of the EEs, the students added smaller details on the birds by cutting wings, tails, and beaks out of cardboard and then taping and paper macheing them onto the body. They also added wire feet.![]()
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- Week 6-8: The children applied layers of paint, starting with a base coat, then adding feather colors and details!![]()
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The process of making these beautiful birds from paper mache is beneficial because it puts children in control of what is produced. It fosters focus, recall, creativity, independence, and confidence in their abilities!![]()
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Photos: Katherine Koehler & Rowan Koester-Jess, Aldo Leopold Nature Center![]()
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#AfterSchoolNatureClub #PaperMache #WIEnviroEd #NatureIsEverywhere #NatureIsForEveryone #EveryBodyOutside
