Jack was already late for soccer practice when the dead bird exploration started. His keen eye for novelty spotted the dead grackle under the blue spruce tree in my front yard as his mother urged him to get into the truck so they could zip across town. Or maybe what he noticed first was the plump white maggots noshing on the dead grackle.

Crouched low, his elbows resting on his knees, the scene fascinated him. He gingerly poked the writhing bird carcass with a stick.

“Jack, get in the truck,” beckoned his mother.

“In a minute, I need to investigate. This is interesting,” the four-year-old shouted back.

“Jack! Now!”

“Jeff, can you leave this here until tomorrow so I can finish?”

“Sure”

“JACK!”

“I have to go, or she’s going to get mad for real.”

“Well, you do have to get to soccer.”

“I’ll need a magnifier thing tomorrow too.”

“I’ll have one waiting. Go to soccer, Jack.”

Dead Bird Exploration Wrap Up

The next day the dead bird exploration play continued. He poked some more. He looked with the magnifier. He asked questions. He hypothesized. He drew a sketch. He looked for the bird’s nest in case orphaned hatchlings needed assistance. Then his interest shifted, and he moved on to something else.

This is an example of real-world STEM play and exploration. Many children are deeply interested in doing the kind of self-directed research Jack did with the bird and maggots. Such play is not aesthetically pleasing to some adults, so it is often shut down, which is sad. It takes little more than time and basic classroom supplies to be supportive, and it can spark so much learning and understanding.

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