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This teacher needs your help!

Mrs. Richardson from Worland WY is requesting lab equipment through DonorsChoose, the most trusted classroom funding site for teachers.

See what Mrs. Richardson is requesting

Bones Are for the Birds

Help me give my students a variety of bird skulls to help them gain a "bird's eye view" into animal adaptations!

  • $1,656 goal

This project expired on February 28, 2020.

This project expired on February 28, 2020.

My Students

My students live in an small, isolated town in northern Wyoming (90 miles from a Wal-Mart in any direction), and our district is a Title I district; many of our students come from low-income households. I am the only eighth grade science teacher in our district, so I get to work with each and every one of our students every single day!

My students' intrigue into the world around them drives their scientific minds, and I work hard to foster a community of investigation and innovation.

My students are creative, curious, hardworking, and unique, and I try to encourage those traits within the walls of my classroom through active exploration and engagement.

My Project

Birds are amazing creatures (when they're not pooping on your car, dive-bombing you in an open plaza, or chasing your five-year-old self around your grandpa's barnyard). Since branching off from the non-avian dinosaurs millions of years ago, birds have evolved into some of the most beautiful, diverse, (tasty), and well-adapted creatures on Earth!

Through our study of animal adaptations, I love to use birds as one of our major talking points simply because they run the gamut from tiny to huge, colorful to dull, simple insectivores to stone-cold hunters, barnyard nuisances to spectacular specimens.

We talk extensively about the evolutionary adaptations they have gained, specifically their beaks! One of my students' favorite labs is called "Breakfast is for the Birds," in which they use everyday items, such as clothespins, tweezers, spoons, and binder clips, to emulate the feeding abilities of a variety of birds. What would really drive the concept of specialized adaptations home for my students would be to have the ability to compare their makeshift bird beaks with replicas of the same thing!

We live in Wyoming, and while we have a few amazing birds, such as bald eagles, red hawks, woodpeckers, and the rare hummingbird, it would be an amazing opportunity for my students to be able to observe bird beaks from more exotic species that they may never see themselves. I would love to see their faces as they explore the mechanisms of a toucan beak or compare a tiny hummingbird beak to that of a spoonbill! By providing a variety of bird skull replicas, I believe my students will truly have a much stronger understanding of the importance of adaptations and how wide a variety of adaptations we can see within a small selection of species.

Mrs. Richardson
Grades 6-8
  • Worland Middle School
  • Worland, WY
    • More than a third of students from low‑income households

    This project will reach 125 students.

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Where Your Donation Goes

Where your donation goes
Materials Cost Quantity Total
MODEL BIRD BEAK ADAPTATION SKULL SET • Ward's Science $339.15 1 $339.15
MACAW SKULL BONE CLONE • Ward's Science $169.15 1 $169.15
MODEL TOUCAN SKULL TOCO 8X1-3 4X2-1 2IN • Ward's Science $157.25 1 $157.25
MODEL SKULL GREAT HORNED OWL • Ward's Science $147.05 1 $147.05
MODEL SKULL WOODPECKER PILEATED • Ward's Science $140.25 1 $140.25
MODEL PUFFIN SKULL HORNED 1-PART • Ward's Science $140.25 1 $140.25
MODEL SPOONBILL SKULL ROSEATE 2-PART • Ward's Science $131.75 1 $131.75
MODEL FLAMINGO SKULL 1-PART • Ward's Science $131.75 1 $131.75

Materials cost

$1,356.60

Vendor shipping charges

 FREE

Sales tax

 $0.00

3rd party payment processing fee

$20.35

Fulfillment labor & materials

$30.00

Total project cost

$1,406.95

Suggested donation to help DonorsChoose reach more classrooms

$248.29

Total project goal

$1,655.24

Our team works hard to negotiate the best pricing and selections available.

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As a teacher-founded nonprofit, we're trusted by thousands of teachers and supporters across the country. This classroom request for funding was created by Mrs. Richardson and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.

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