Bird Nest Sculpture Photos

Now that we are all social distancing as an act of love for fellow humankind, "our backyards, front yard, side yards, windowsills, and porches" (to quote Victoria Hackett) can be looked at with fresh eyes as spaces for possible Outdoor Classrooms! Homeschooling in the great outoors!

Here at my house we have the veggie garden project, the pollinator garden project, the sensory garden project (a garden box full of lamb's ear, a giant pot of lemongrass, a giant pot of peppermint & spearmint), the seed starting project... and the Nest Sculpture project!

We made a giant Nest Sculpture last Spring out of sticks collected in the yard (this needs to happen because even the tiniest stick will stop my old-fashioned reel mower dead in its tracks). It is a huge amount of fun, and infinitely more satisfying than putting all the sticks in the compost pile where they will seemingly never break down (yes, I know, break them into smaller pieces, add Nitrogen, turn them regularly... but to be honest we just have a massive heap that looks like a start to the Great Wall of China).

Last time we did this I loved it, and the pictures of the kids sitting in it pretending to be mama and baby birds were adorable, but I had neglected to put anything down in the middle and the grass got so high that we had to disassemble it and mow. This year I learned from my mistakes and put down a big tarp. I staked it down at the four corners with tent pegs, so that it wouldn't blow away, and we began to build the frame of the nest. When it is heavy enough we will remove the tent pegs. We will cover the center of the circular nest with mulch so that it looks brown, and not bright blue woven poly, and will be cozy for sitting on. I'm really excited!

I'm also excited about taking some online classes from Victoria, founder of Outdoor Classrooms: Cultivating Children's Gardens and Nature-Based Curriculum. The first is tomorrow, May 7, at 10:30 am Eastern: Transform Your Backyard into a Teaching Garden. The second is next Thursday, May 14, at 10:30 am Eastern: Pop-Up Nature Based Curriculum Using Loose Parts. I'm looking forward to both. Here's the link to all of her course offerings.

Victoria suggests setting up an outdoor classroom immediately when you start a new school, instead of thinking of it as an optional extra to add in a few years down the road. Maybe this time of having some quiet over the summer will help me finally turn my attention to the outdoor spaces of my home instead of just the indoor ones!

first version - April 2019

using the same spot again, but with a new plan

staking down the tarp

we have sticks!

lots and lots...

and lots of sticks

I can't wait to put them all to good use!

UPDATE - September 2020

As it turns out, the woven polypropylene tarp is not enough of a weed block. The grass grew up quite merrily through it all summer long! So here are the photos from attempt #3. Which was a resounding success!

Finally, I learned that it works best to lay down a clear shower curtain liner, folded in half, as the base of the sculpture. Build a frame with very large sticks and then fill in blank spaces with smaller sticks. This is also a perfect time to do yarn-wrapped sticks, as they add a pop of color to your sculpture. Line the nest with dried grass, straw, dead leaves, or bark mulch.

If you have one handy, begin this project with a bird nest dissection.

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