Squirrel Boxes

The Jade Band (11-year-olds) worked with an authentic audience during the six-week Nest Arc for a community-based project, during which they partnered with Yggdrasil Urban Wildlife Rescue to build nest boxes for rehabilitated squirrels that were used in their release back into the wild. Their collaborator Rachel tells the story.

How does a space meet the needs of those who nest within it?

This essential question was the uniting thread throughout all of our inquiries and projects. We began by researching Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs and discussed the levels of human needs. We applied our knowledge of human needs to create an imaginary human 'nest' which fulfilled the needs of those who inhabit it. Some of us created self-sustaining communities on Mars; others created a little cabin in the woods; and some created fantasy lands.  

We transitioned from discussing how humans needs are met through the spaces in which they live to discussing how animal needs are met through the nests in which they live. We began a practice of scientific sketching with leaves, nests and hives through a few iterations. Our final scientific sketch at Stowe Lake captured the animals and habitats, and we were lucky enough to spot the beautiful heron’s nests as well!

The Jade Band launched their Nest Arc project with the help of Lila from Yggdrasil Urban Wildlife Rescue (YUWR). Lila works to rescue injured animals in the Bay Area, with a particular focus on squirrels, and the Jade band teamed up with her to build squirrel nest boxes that play a critical role in the release of rehabilitated squirrels. She brought a variety of nests into our space as well as two adorable squirrels she has been working with, Jade and Crimson. We are so lucky to have developed this relationship with Lila and YUWR as it provided us this authentic chance to provide nests for others and to contribute to a community that is bigger than ourselves. 

We began our initial research and sketches in our project groups, imagining all the ways we could create a nest to meet the needs of the squirrels. We finalised our idea sketches according to the research we completed about the needs of squirrels and then jumped into the Art Studio to create our cardboard prototype. We learned about what makes a good nest box and came up with some criteria that we used to monitor our progress. The main elements on which we focused were safety, physical needs, comfort and community. We read an article, Scientists Say Child's Play Help Builds a Better Brain, and determined that we were missing a key element - play! With this in mind, we designed the interior and exterior of our prototypes to meet these criteria. 

We ventured out to YUWR in Potrero Hill to meet with Lila and Devlin where they introduced us to their incredible community of animals. We provided one another feedback on our prototype boxes and then were able to test our designs with two of YUWR's resident squirrels, Crimson and Jade. Jade, who was named after our band, is very young and tested out how cozy our space was. Crimson, who is older and much more active, tested out our structural design. The following day, we reviewed our video footage of the squirrels in our boxes and laid out our next steps and goals to improve our design. 

Before we began building, we met up with Evan in the shop to build a bridge using only wood and clamps. The goal was to work in teams stationed at two benches to build out with wood and clamps, meet in the middle and create a bridge sturdy enough for Evan to cross - we were successful (and were the first group to use every clamp in the shop!) and used it as an opportunity to reflect on our teamwork and project work expectations.

With a hiccup in our special order wood delivery, we pressed pause on our building plans but used the time wisely, refining our plans, acting on our feedback, and reflecting on the process. We crafted a multi-faceted blog post to inform the Brightworks community about our work and the work of YUWR. Our four pieces included:

Jade, The Squirrel, a biography of our namesake squirrel

Yggdrasil Urban Wildlife Rescue Center, an information text about Lila and YUWR

Squirrel Needs, an information text summarizing our research into squirrel needs

How to Make a Squirrel Nest Box, a procedural text explaining how to make a nest box

By the time our wood arrived, we were ready to get straight to work. After only two full days of diligent work in the shop, the Jade band pulled off quite the building feat. Evan worked alongside us, providing expert, real-time feedback on our designs. Chop saws, drills, jig-saws, angle-grinders, and clamps all made appearances in our shop time as we crafted our nest boxes to include safety hoods over entry/exit holes, false floors to provide an additional layer of protection from predators, ledges and play structures to allow for stimulation of the brain and natural and non-toxic, man-made cozy layers.

Our problem solving skills were put to the test as we encountered unexpected challenges: adding hinges in a place that didn’t compromise the security of the box, cutting false floors to fit snugly inside, finding accurate cut angles, finding screw tips that poked through wood pieces creating safety hazards, and plenty of team-work stressors as well. We definitely didn’t get these right the first time (and usually not the second or third time either), but the Jade band persisted through frustrations, set-backs and learning curves to produce safe, cozy homes for our squirrel friends at YUWR.

We wrapped up our design process, diving into a reflection of our processes and our products. We distilled the effective elements of a design process and reflected on the elements that could be improved in our next design process. We also reflected on the quality of our nest boxes according to the criteria we determined with the help of our expert, Lila. We are so lucky in that our relationship with YUWR does not have to come to an end. Although we will be donating our nest boxes, Lila invited us to join her in the squirrel releases that will be happening in the Golden Gate Park using the nest boxes we have built. We will soon have nest neighbors that we can visit, just down the road!

Nesting Literature and Inspired Art

Birds of a Feather: Bower Birds and Me by Susan L. Roth

Susan L. Roth, a children’s book author and artist, draws comparisons between her own artistic work of collaging with that of the Bowerbird’s art of creating its colorful nest, or bower.  We took inspiration from this delightful text, creating our own bower collage around a self portrait. A combination of man-made and natural items were used to create a piece of art to be displayed in our band-space, making it even more homey. These reflective representations were thoughtful, colorful and meaningful.

Skellig by David Almond

Our shared reading time with the novel Skellig has been suspenseful, comical and enjoyable. We’ve come to know the characters well - Michael, Mina and Skellig - each with their own personality and voice. Debates around our predictions, analysis of character motivations, summarization of plot, and connections to our own worlds filled our book discussions. Mina, a bird lover, is particularly inspired by the words of William Blake and so we in turn became inspired as well, transforming his words into comic strips. 

Mindful Math 

“A Mathematician, like a painter or poet, is a maker of patterns.” G.H. Hardy

We began our math journey discussing how best we learn and enjoy math. A few of us learn best when using manipulatives. One or two like traditional, teach and practice. A handful prefered integrated, project math. Almost everyone agreed they like puzzles and games. With this in mind, we crafted a balanced approach for our math brains. Jo Boaler’s Mindset Mathematics provides a manipulative based math where patterns are discovered not explicitly taught. Khan Academy provides individuals to pace themselves appropriately and allows for immediate feedback on understanding. Our nest box project lent itself to very authentic measurement math opportunities.

The Science of Nesting

The Jade Band’s introduction to bird nests of the world highlighted the different resources and methods birds use to raise their offspring.  A nest-making provocation followed, with most of the students choosing to employ a weaving method to meet the challenge of using jute twine to build a nest capable of holding a handful of beans.

Identifying that a nest could be thought of as a basket build by a bird, the students followed by exploring more complex basket weaving by Native Californians.  An introduction to Californian baskets inspired the students to learn new, more technically difficult and aesthetically pleasing basket making techniques.  Sewn coil baskets followed, with the students striving towards their self-proclaimed challenge to make one that can hold water.