August is the time for collecting feathers in NE Scotland. All the gulls have been shedding their feathers, left, right and centre on the playing fields and parks. When you and your class go collecting, be sure to store some away for examining and using at other times of the year.

This is an annual event for most species of bird. Even though they take good care of their feathers through preening, feathers, like human hair and fingernails, are not living material. Thus once damaged or worn, they cannot be healed or repaired. Thus feathers are designed to be shed and replaced by new feathers in the process known as moulting. New feathers grow in the follicles of skin and push out the old feathers.

The other purpose of moulting is to allow birds to change the colour or pattern of their feathers. This happens as juvenile birds grow into adult birds. It also enables birds such as the ptarmigan change into their winter plumage for camouflage or birds that have special breeding plumage to revert to non-breeding plumage. Some species such as mallard ducks are unable to fly for several weeks whilst this happens.

Considerations about collecting feathers

Although commercially bought feathers come in an attractive range of colours and look cute and fluffy, they are no competition for a wild feather found on the ground that is asking to be picked up!

• When you go feather gathering with children, stick to public parks and remember that fresh moulted feathers are best – try to avoid picking up the manky ones.
• If you are worried about hygiene, then freezing feathers for a few days will help kill any residual organisms. Good hand hygiene helps too – wash hands thoroughly after collecting and using feathers.
• At present the UK is being hard hit by Bird Flu (avian influenza). Follow local guidance where it exists and keep an eye on national updates at NatureScot and other UK Government Agencies. Do not touch any dead bird.
• In Australia, New Zealand, North America and many other places, there is consideration needed to respect First Nation or indigenous cultural uses. Likewise in some countries it is illegal to collect certain species of bird feathers. Take time to find out and follow your own national and local guidance.

1. Sorting and Classifying Feathers

Look at the range of feathers collected and encourage your children to sort these. Ask them what criteria they used or get other groups to guess. Spend time talking about the shape, size, structure and purposes of the different types of feather. Is it possible to work out which part of the bird a feather came from and how we know this? There are 4 basic types: down, semi-plume, flight and contour feathers.

2. The Gift of a Feather

Walking back home with a fistful of feathers makes passing children stop and look with interest. Feathers have a a uniqueness and power that is hard to put into words. Worldwide, bird feathers are sacred to many cultures, traditions and religions. For example, a feather is often regarded as a gift of friendship. After a walk in the park, children can examine the feathers they have collected, pick their favourite and give it to one of their friends. It may be worthwhile researching stories about feathers and their symbolism.

3. A Feather in your Pocket

Feathers can aid reflection. If you have a dilemma, problem, issue or matter that needs thought, then putting a feather In your pocket can help. You pick a feather you are attracted to, put it in your pocket or keep it on you. Within a day or two, you will find the solutions or ideas or the issue may become clear to you. The feather should then be thanked and released back to the earth or cleansed in moonlight for future use.

4. Talking feathers

Talking feathers can be used during Circle Time as a change from a stick. At the start of the year, with a new class, the feather can be be small and fragile. The children may only talk when they are holding the feather. Care is needed when passing a feather to keep it intact. It can help create a special atmosphere, for a talking feather may only be held by a person who speaks from the heart and speaks the truth. A feather should always be passed clockwise. As the class gets older and more used to Circle Time, then the feather can be replaced with a larger one to signify the growth of the group. This can happen periodically throughout the year as important milestones are reached particularly when there has been friendship issues that children manage to sort out positively and the class dynamics are strengthened. I like the idea that a child could quietly post a feather to an adult when they need a moment to talk. Sometimes a silent act is more powerful and says more than a verbal request.

5. The tickly feather game

Ask your class to lie on the ground with their eyes closed. One child begins by gently tickling another child with a feather on a stick. The tickled child gets up, takes the stick and chooses another child to tickle. The game continues in this fashion until every child is “awake” and everyone give the last child a special clap or cheer. Afterwards, children can talk about how the feather feels against their skin and whether all feathers feel the same. I’m sure children would enjoy making their own feather sticks too!

6. Arty feathers

Feathers can be used for printing and other artwork, such as placing feathers on paper and spraying around them. Sandpits are great for feather sculptures as the feathers can be stuck upright in the sand.  Older children may enjoy looking at the painted feather art on YouTube. Acrylic paint is applied directly to the feather. Exploring the use and history of quills can be fascinating. Nick Neddo’s book : The Organic Artist for Kids provides advice about creating and using quills. It is also a good way to learn about the different parts of a feather and to use these names for a real purpose.

7. Coloured feathers

Coloured feathers are a lot of fun for hunting and finding in the garden or outdoor space. They can be hidden in all sorts of places. You can make requests such as “Find me a small green feather” or “Find four red feathers”. This can be followed up with Lois Ehlert’s story Feathers for Lunch about a cat who is trying to catch birds.

8. A feathery investigation

An interesting investigation is to see where feathers will land on a windy day when released into the outdoor area or school grounds. Different coloured feathers can be released or thrown into the air in different places. If using gathered feathers then use the smaller semi-plume feathers which can be easily blown rather than the larger flight feathers found in birds’ wings or their tail feathers as these are on the large side.

The children can predict where they think the feathers will land or end up after one hour. Does this mimic where litter gathers?

9. Dropped feathers

Dropping feathers in different ways and seeing how they fall to the ground can be useful comparative work. Collections of different sorts of feathers help children understand the diversity birds and the different types and functions of feathers. It’s also  a challenge trying to catch a feather that is twirling to the ground.

10. As light as a feather

Is it possible to weigh a feather? What other objects are as light as a feather? This can make a good homework investigation. Children can look for objects and seek advice from other people.

This blog post was originally published in September 2015.