======Bird Beak Adaptations Game======


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**Materials: **{{$demo.materials_description}}\\
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**Alternative titles:** Darwin’s Finches Simulation
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====Summary====                   
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====Procedure====  
  - Gather a set of tools (tweezers, spoons, clothespins, chopsticks) to represent bird beaks, plus cups to represent bird stomachs.
  - Choose 4–5 items to serve as different “foods” (marbles, dried beans, rubber bands, string, rocks, etc.).
  - Mark a feeding zone on the floor with string, tape, or rope.
  - Each player selects a beak tool and a stomach cup.
  - Scatter one type of food in the feeding zone.
  - Make predictions about which beak will work best for that food.
  - Start music and allow birds to “feed” by collecting food with their beaks and placing it in their cup. Stop after 90 seconds or when food is mostly gone.
  - Count and record how much food each beak collected.
  - Repeat with other food types, and then play a final round with all foods mixed together.
  - Discuss results: Which beak worked best for each food? How did this affect survival?



====Links==== 
Bird Beak Adaptations Game 🐦‍⬛ Fun Science with Ms. Shelley | Kindergarten Grade NGSS - Ms Shelley's Science Show: 
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Super Science: Bird Beak Adaptations Activity - Staten IslandMuseum: 
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📄 BIRD BEAK BUFFET - Pacific Science Center: [[https://pacificsciencecenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/cah-bird-beak-buffet-K-2.pdf]]\\

====Variations====
  * Play multiple rounds with different food combinations to simulate changing environments.
  * Add rules that mimic environmental challenges (wind blowing food, limited time, or competition from a “predator”).
  * Extend by matching real bird beaks to their foods using cards or magazine cutouts.
  * Go outdoors for a “beak hunt” to observe and sketch real bird beaks and guess their functions.




====Safety Precautions====
  * Play in a safe space where players won’t slip on scattered food items.
  * Supervise young children to prevent swallowing small food items (beans, marbles).
  * Use care with sharp tools (e.g., metal tweezers); substitute safer options for younger participants.
  * Clean up thoroughly after the game.





====Questions to Consider====
  * Which beak tool was most successful for seeds, worms, or insects? (Answers depend on food and tool type—e.g., tweezers for string “worms,” spoons for marbles or beans.)
  * How does this activity show why birds have different beak shapes? (Beaks are adaptations for specific food sources.)
  * What might happen if all birds in the same habitat ate the same food? (Intense competition; some birds would not survive.)
  * How does this game connect to Darwin’s observations of finches in the Galapagos Islands? (Beak variations helped finches survive on different food sources, demonstrating natural selection.)
  * What environmental changes might make one beak more useful than another? (Droughts or seasonal changes affect food availability, shifting which beak types are favored.)