Catchers is an activity from “Play and Find Out About Nature”
The shape and size of a bird’s beak and mouth help it to catch food. Some birds can catch flying insects.
Just for Fun!
Make a paper beak and use it to catch tossed popcorn. The popcorn can represent flying insects.
1. Fold the flap of the envelope inside the envelope.
2.Open the envelope and line the inside with the facial tissue.
3. Put the hand you write with inside the envelope with your fingers pointing toward corner A and your thumb pointing toward corner B.
4. With your other hand, push the center of the bottom fold at point C toward the hand inside the envelope.
5. Use your fingers and thumb inside the envelope to fold the envelope over as if to form a bird’s biting beak.
6. Open and close the beak several time so that the envelope will stay in a beak shape.
7. Ask your helper to throw one pop corn kernel at a time into the air. Using only your paper bird’s beak, catch the falling kernel. The falling kernels of popped corn represent flying insects.
8. Place any caught kernels in a bowl and count the number that you catch. Was it difficult to catch your “flying insects” ? How many “insects” did you catch?
9. Repeat steps 7 and 8 with you tossing the corn kernels and your helper holding the beak.
The video shows the model of a bird beak made from an envelope.
Popcorn thrown toward the beak represent flying insects. Notice how the beak opens and snaps closed as it grabs for the “flying insects.”
