6/19/2020 | This resource was created by Abigail Schmid and Joanne Vogel.
Hummingbirds are magical. In sunlight, they look like tiny winged jewels that fly in fast motion. Using a figure-eight wing pattern, hummingbirds can fly backwards, upside down, and even hover in mid-air.
The ruby-throated hummingbird is the only kind of hummingbird that breeds here in New Jersey and the eastern United States. Each fall, they make a monumental journey to their winter homes in Central America. Then, in spring, they will gorge on tiny insects and nectar from flowers, putting on enough fat to give them the energy to make the return journey to where their lives began. They even fly non-stop across the Gulf of Mexico, a distance of 500 miles that takes almost a day! Can you imagine flying all the way from your home to North Carolina without an airplane?
This resource is comprised of several parts, listed here:
- Ruby-throated Hummingbird Intro
- The Flying, Fluttering, Fearless Hummingbird
- Activity 1: Flap Your Wings
- Activity 2: Penny Activity
- Activity 3: Journey Across the Gulf Penny Toss
- Activity 4: Hummingbird Races (with 2 options)
- 21 Days in the Nest Timeline
- Activity 5: Make a Hummingbird Nest
- Activity 6: Hummingbird Word Search
- Vocabulary
- Summary
- Make Your Own Hummingbird Feeder
- Additional Resources