The 12 Activities of Christmas 2: Two Turtle Doves
Did you know that turtle doves migrate? This activity encourages the children to think about birds flying south for the winter. It is best suited for older children in groups of 2-5.
Follow our simple step-by-step guide to have a go at this PSED activity today:
What you will need:
- A globe or map of the world
- Warm weather clothes, e.g. sun hat, flip-flops, sunglasses, shorts
- Cold weather clothes, e.g. scarf, gloves, woolly hat, boots
Preparing the activity:
1. Set up the warm- and cold-weather clothes out on a table in a random order, alongside the globe.
Doing the activity:
In turn, hold up the items of clothing and ask the children if they think they are for hot weather or cold weather.
Talk to the children about the differences between hot and cold weather. What do they usually wear and do when it’s hot? Do they go to the beach in shorts? What about when it’s cold? Do they stay inside in the warm? Discuss what the children prefer – sun on the beach or playing in the snow?
Lead on to the fact that birds live outside in trees and don’t have warm blankets so, when the leaves fall off the trees, some of them, such as the turtle dove, go somewhere warmer for the winter.
Turtle doves migrate to Africa during the winter months and come back to the UK when it’s warmer. What do the children think of this? Would they enjoy going somewhere warm in winter? Would they miss any of the cold weather, like the snow? Point out Africa and the UK on the map so the children can see how far the birds fly.
Adapting the Activity:
As this plan doesn’t really focus on Christmas, there will be no problem using it as a non-Christmas activity.
Tracking the activity:
30-50 months
Understanding the world: The world; “Can talk about some of the things they have observed such as plants, animals, natural and found objects.”
40-60+ months
Understanding the world: The world; “Looks closely at similarities, differences, patterns and change.”
