By Parull Chandra, Head Teacher
As teachers returned to Bing Nursery School after winter break, we heard unusual sounds coming from the redwood grove on the west side of the yard. The sounds were beautiful, and we found their source when we noticed two owls perched high in a redwood tree. They were amazing creatures but also difficult to see, so the following weekend, a teacher brought a camera to document the sighting and make sure the children would not miss this incredible discovery. Now we had proof that two great horned owls were perched in our tallest redwood tree. We realized they had arrived during the quiet three-week break and were probably not expecting the hustle and bustle of children once we reopened.
The children responded with enormous excitement. They intuited that this was no ordinary sighting, and their delight was the impetus for our in-depth investigation of owls: how they live, what they eat, and how they survive in our environment. At Bing, we use the project approach, where children undertake an investigation of a subject of interest to them. Dr. Lilian Katz, a respected early childhood education expert, advocates providing young children with “standards of experience.” These are experiences in which children are engaged with extended interactions with and investigations of their environment. According to Katz, these experiences encourage children to become intellectually absorbed and build confidence in their thinking abilities.
Look What We See and Hear: Observing Our Feathered Visitors
Owls hold a special place in human culture and mythology, one that is often associated with wisdom and mystery. Once the children knew about the winged visitors to the grove, they were very motivated to begin their exploration of the owls. Teachers created several viewing stations in the grove with binoculars and clipboards. Children shared their observations with each other and in our classroom newspaper. Teachers encouraged children to ask questions and find answers through investigation, while also providing books on owls so the children could research the particular type we were watching from a distance. After conversing with each other about what they’d learned about owls, children shared their knowledge in groups, as the teachers offered more resources, asked thought-provoking questions, and documented the learning process. Parents, along with their children, gathered around our circle of redwood trees to catch a glimpse of these magnificent creatures.
Teachers started the project by asking, “What do you know about owls?”
The children’s responses were varied and telling. Nina compared the owls to herself and said, “Sometimes I’m still scared of the dark. Owls are not scared of the dark.”
Everett learned the meaning of the word “nocturnal,” explaining, “Owls are nocturnal. They sleep in the morning. But we need to get an owl expert to tell us.” Frances was silly and said, “Owls wear party clothes.” Focused on the birds’ nutrition, Gabi said, “Owls eat mice.”
Teachers took videos of the owls; as we studied them with the children, we noticed a big nest at the very top of the tree. Wondering if there would be owlets, the children were eager to see what was happening inside the nest and brainstormed ideas for how they might go about it. A very long ladder was by far the most popular suggestion.
Unpacking Owl Pellets
After one of the children and her mother discovered owl pellets around the tree, we carefully collected them, dissected the regurgitated masses and discovered tiny, fragile bone fragments. This discovery motivated the children to come to the grove every morning to search for new pellets. We gathered the pellets and used tweezers to pull the fur and feathers from the bones. The children found a variety of different bones, which they sorted and compared in a chart, to identify the name of the bone and the animal to which it belonged. They were excited to be detectives analyzing our owl friends’ meals, curious to figure out what the owls ate and what they regurgitated.
Teachers asked, “What is an owl pellet? What’s in the owl pellet?
Juliette said, “Owls spit it out. This is their throw-up.”
Alex said, “Bones they don’t like to eat.”
Isiah was sure of himself and said, “They eat meat, and they eat lots of mice and rats. Maybe they even eat some squirrels.”
By dissecting owl pellets, children engaged in a blend of environmental science, anatomy, and ecology. They gained insights into owl species, their prey, and the intricate web of life in their ecosystems, fostering a deeper appreciation for the natural world.
Did Our Owl Visitors Fly the Coop?
Focus on the owls became a daily activity. The children would head out to the grove for updates, and they served as
docents for parents and other adults who visited. Alas! After two weeks, the owls were nowhere to be seen—and still, the owl project progressed, and the children continued their explorations.
“Why did we see the owl before?” they asked. “Where are they?”
The children offered theories as to why the owls were gone.
Ella thought: “Maybe they are in a different tree in a different school.”
Alex had a different opinion: “We have a crow problem. Let’s make a scarecrow to get rid of them. They are bullying our owls.”
Arian wanted to find them. “They are so high up in the tree,” he said. “Teacher, maybe I can climb up and see?”
Michael did not want to speculate: “They left our yard, and I don’t know where they went.”
Lina was sure they were safe: “They went with their mama.”
Frances came up with another hypothesis. “The owls are on an airplane going to New York.”
Nolan was ready to personify the owls: “The owls are in a tent because it’s raining.”
Creative Ideas to Bring the Owls Back
Disappointed that their feathered friends had left the grove, the children brainstormed creative ways to bring the owls back. This shared interest brought new groupings of children together. The classroom was truly one family of learners.
Sawyer said, “We should call them and say, ‘Owls, come back! Come back!’ I made a nest and put it at the end of the tree. That’s how we can get them back. Maybe they like graham crackers.”
Nolan suggested, “Maybe if we put an owl book outside.”
Stevie said, “We should bring a book to them and some money, so they come back.”
Siddharth said, “I’m making some chocolate for the owls; that’s how they’ll come back.”
Amirsalar said, “Draw a picture of the owl.”
“Put some food on the ground,” said Natalie. “Maybe dead rats.”
Charlie agreed that food was the answer: “The owls are gone. Put seaweed on their nest, they’ll come back.”
Using critical thinking and problem-solving, the children focused their play on how to bring the owls back. For example, they built nests with natural materials to entice the owls to settle in a new home. They decorated an owl box donated to our classroom by a Brownie Girl Scout. They helped Gene, our school carpenter, to measure and hang the owl box on a “perfect tree” chosen by Archer M., who determined it was optimal for attracting the owls back to our yard.
Although we couldn’t see them anymore, the children were convinced the owls were close by. Their interest remained robust as they made nests with materials we found in the yard, along with bark and sticks they brought from home. Many hoped that if they created a home for the owls, they would return. Some created clay owls and built fences around their nests so they would not escape. Some children created an “owl express office” to talk to the planes they thought were transporting the owls back to Bing. Children’s play was enlivened as they set up a runway for the “owl express” “coming from the southwest,” and they communicated with the pilots using walkie-talkies and phones to assist the landing. Archer was particularly invested in this dramatic play and involved many other children. “They are landing in one minute! Clear! Clear! Everyone out of the runway!” he exclaimed. “They are dropping off two owls and 40 eggs! We’ll have to build a nest with a wall, so the eggs don’t break!”
Building Community and Home-School Connections
The children were fascinated to learn how many varieties of owls there are in the U.S. After teachers read books about owls, children acted out the stories during story time and free play. They were seen sitting on pretend eggs, creating nests, flying through the yard, and singing owl songs. During the six-week project, children developed a sense of community while playing together to find answers to their questions and determine how to express their ideas.
In addition to building community within the classroom, our owl project sparked a strong home-school connection as children shared the experience with their families. For example, Juliette made an owl puppet with bark she found at her brother’s school. Frances showed her friends an owl pamphlet, proud to share her owl knowledge with them. Eva and her mom led owl collage-making with the other children, and they decided to hang the collages near the owl box to attract the birds back to the yard.
Our deep dive into owls also enhanced literacy. Eva, for one, was very interested in exploring how to say “owl” in different languages. She made a guide with her parents on how the word is written in Spanish, Slovenian (her home language), and English. She sat at the greeter table and interviewed parents as they arrived to add more languages to her guide. She continued to add to her list when two visitors paused their tour to look at the classroom documentation board. Eva asked, “What language do you speak? How do you say ‘owl’ in Portuguese?”
The children’s emerging literacy skills were further enhanced by sharing their theories about owl life, organizing their thoughts and using owl vocabulary, such as “pellet,” “nocturnal,” “predator,” “wingspan,” and “dissecting.” They strengthened their numeracy and spatial reasoning skills by predicting how many eggs were in a nest and how long they would take to hatch, and by playing owl scavenger hunt and matching games.
At the same time that the classroom was learning about owls, a Eurasian eagle-owl named Flaco escaped from New York’s Central Park Zoo. Teachers shared the information with parents, so they could talk about it with their children who wanted to find out more about Flaco and his ability to survive in Manhattan.
Owl Experts Share Their Knowledge
We invited owl experts from the Palo Alto Junior Museum & Zoo to share their knowledge with our curious community of learners. The visitors brought in owl skulls, talons, and feathers, and the children confidently shared their ideas about owls with the experts. We learned that great horned owls are powerful predators that hunt small mammals, birds, and reptiles using their keen sight and silent flight. They can turn their heads almost all the way around, which is something we humans cannot do. Children were absorbed in this presentation, so much so that they tried to see how far they could rotate their heads. We learned about owls’ incredible hearing and how their ears are just holes in their skulls. Children compared the feathers of other birds with owl feathers and noticed how the design of owl feathers enables them to fly very quietly.
As Jordyn said, “So they can catch their food like a surprise!”
Children had a rich discussion with the visiting experts and asked many questions, including, “Do owls lay eggs?” “How long does it take for the eggs to hatch?” “Do owls like rain?”
When Aiden asked, “Why were they awake in the morning?” we learned that while great horned owls are typically nocturnal, they may be active during the day, especially when raising their young.
Our children were fortunate to explore these magnificent creatures up close in a meaningful way, learning about their unique behavior, hunting skills, and the challenges they face in the wild. Teachers observed the children cultivating a positive learning disposition and building a sense of confidence and ownership over their educational journey. The awe and excitement of spotting these great horned owls in our classroom yard was a rich experience not just for the children, who came to view themselves as owl experts, but for their families and our visitors as well.
Best of all, after several weeks of no owl sightings, teacher Mia discovered fresh owl pellets under the redwood tree. The finding was reported in the classroom newspaper, and it revived the children’s interest in searching for owls and continuing their learning adventure.
“They like our yard,” Jordyn said. “They will stay.”
