Winged Wonders: Day 5

July 23, 2019

Winged Wonders: Day 5

Our week of Winged Wonders has come to an end! We took some time to reflect on our time together and share positive thoughts about one another. We sat in a circle and took a turn focusing on each camper. Everyone shared something they learned or noticed about one another during our time together. It was a great opportunity to acknowledge the growth that took place this week as well as our strengths and those that emerged as leaders among us.

Miss Ellen and Mr. Julian introduced us to an activity that would demonstrate how the shape of a bird's beak can affect the amount of food it's able to collect in a given amount of time. Campers worked in small groups and each used a different tool to represent a beak: tongs, tweezers, and clothespins. Their task was to try and collect food samples of various sizes (corn, pebbles and lima beans) and put them in their stomachs (a plastic cup). When time was up, campers reported their collection numbers as well as their type of beak so that they were able to look for patterns and connections between the beak type and the amount of food collected.

This led to an interesting discussion about evolution and the work that Darwin did with finches on the Galapagos Islands. The model beaks that the campers used represented the beak sizes of the finches. Those that are able to collect the most food are in a better position to reproduce and provide for their young. Eventually, certain birds would die off and others would become dominant.