Hope is the thing with feathers
That perches in the soul,
And sings the tune without the words,
And never stops at all,
And sweetest in the gale is heard;
And sore must be the storm
That could abash the little bird
That kept so many warm.
I’ve heard it in the chillest land,
And on the strangest sea;
Yet, never, in extremity,
It asked a crumb of me.
—Emily Dickinson
I posed the question, “What makes a bird a bird?” to a group of preschoolers. Birds had been visiting our winter feeder, and the children were quickly learning to identify them by color, beak, and size. The children pored over the guide to bird identification, matching pictures to the birds outside our window. The sensory table was filled with birdseed to dump, pour, sort, and classify. With the advent of spring, we eagerly noticed a robin’s nest and hung yarn, ribbon, and string in the bushes in hope that these materials would be helpful to the mommy bird. A robin’s eyes are on the side of its head and can be used independently. We noticed how they turn their heads to the side so they can see worms and insects in the grass. Robins eat up to fourteen feet of worms in one day! So, what makes a bird a bird?
In loving memory of Gryphon House author Leanne Grace, MEd, we are sharing pieces of her inspirational writing every Wednesday. Leanne was the director of professional development at Hildebrandt Learning Centers and a lifelong advocate for early childhood education. She inspired the early childhood community to prepare children as lifelong learners with her ability to find the extraordinary in the ordinary. One person can make a difference, and Leanne did just that. She will be sorely missed.
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