All about feathers

In a quest to learn all things bird, we started (and finished) learning about feathers.  We read books about them, we looked up things on the internet and we experimented a bit with them.

Her favorite thing was writing with a feather like they did many many years ago. We were both very surprised to find that feathers dipped in ink felt very much like a felt tipped marker. It was neat to write with.

 

We also talked about the way feathers repel water.  After she played with the feather in water for a bit, we put cooking oil in the water (watched it bead up and NOT mix together) and put the feather back in. She noticed how heavy the feather got and how slimy and gross it felt.  We then put some dish detergent on it and washed it off. We are waiting now to see if we were able to get all of the oil off...we are both doubtful.

 

 

We also watched a few youtube video's on oil spills and how they affect the coastal birds. She was very saddened by watching them.

We have many many more bird activities planned...stay tuned!