Deconstructing a Bird's Nest

On a walk one morning ,I found a bird's nest (it was on the ground and obviously abandoned) and decided to bring it home for the kids to study. The egg inside was not found in the nest but elsewhere (and it was only a 1/2 shell) - but I thought I'd bring it for them to see as well.

I had the kids observe the nest, draw a picture of it, weigh it and then tear it apart to see what all it was made of. It was interesting for all three of us to see what that industrious little bird included in her nest.

Along with the usual mud and dry grass, some of the interesting building materials included: silvery plastic paper, thick shoelace, thin string, part of cigarette fuzzy stuff, red plastic rope, clear plastic thing that stacks of newspaper are wrapped in, fur (dog?), growing plant, blue plastic, 2 candy wrappers (Smartees?), pine needles, silver twist tie, old twist tie, plastic coated wire, thin blue plastic, white plastic, small piece colored metal.

Nest Eggs
Robert Louis Stevenson

Birds all the summer day
  Flutter and quarrel
Here in the arbour-like
  Tent of the laurel.

Here in the fork
  The brown nest is seated;
For little blue eggs
  The mother keeps heated.

While we stand watching her
  Staring like gabies,
Safe in each egg are the
  Bird's little babies.

Soon the frail eggs they shall
  Chip, and upspringing
Make all the April woods
  Merry with singing.

Younger than we are,
  O children, and frailer,
Soon in the blue air they'll be,
  Singer and sailor.

We, so much older,
  Taller and stronger,
We shall look down on the
  Birdies no longer.

They shall go flying
  With musical speeches
High overhead in the
  Tops of the beeches.

In spite of our wisdom
  And sensible talking,
We on our feet must go
  Plodding and walking.