Backyard Bird homeschool unit

I am in a co-op, and am teaching this semester a class on backyard birds. Each week we are going to do two things. The first is a basic bird watching class, on how to set up a place where you can begin to watch for birds. The second part is identifying birds common to Eastern North Carolina. You can easily do this at home, let me know if you are!
This week is the first week. The first lesson is that we need to observe birds! What color is their wings and what color is the belly? What about their beak? Noticing little details will help you identify it later. We are going to make a nature journal to record what they see at home in. I got the idea from this website http://www.ehow.com/how_2060891_make-nature-journal-child.html . I cut printer paper in half and didn't make a cardstock cover on mine, but I may do that tomorrow if I have any. I used birdseed as glitter to decorate the cover. The bird of the week is the bluejay!

We are making a lap-page using minibooks from http://www.homeschoolshare.com/backyard_birds_lap_n_note.php We will be doing what the nest/babies and gestation is, what they eat, where they live, and their song. I also am gluing a few sunflowers seeds to the page as a reminder that to attract them you need sunflower seeds-it's their favorite feeder food!

I got a picture of the bluejay from http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/birds/printouts/Bluejayprintout.shtml

Happy birdwatching!