When we say someone “eats like a bird,” that should mean the person eats a LOT. Every day birds eat many times their weight in food, so they have energy to fly. But hopefully eating like a bird doesn’t mean eating what a bird eats. Some birds eat tasty berries and fish. But a few — the robin, the woodcock, and the warbler — eat worms. As the birds walk around, their stomping makes the earthworms underground move around, making it easy for the birds to find them. Yum!
Wee ones: If a bird eats a worm, then a caterpillar, then a worm, then a caterpillar…what do you think the bird eats next?
Little kids: If 3 birds go hunting for worms, how many stomping feet do they have? Bonus: If a bird pecks 10 times but grabs a worm only 3 of those times, how many pecks were misses?
Big kids: If a robin slurps up 6 worms every 10 minutes, how many can it eat in 20 minutes? Bonus: If the robin keeps eating 6 worms every 10 minutes, how many can it eat in 1 hour? (Reminder: An hour has 60 minutes.)
Answers:
Wee ones: A worm!
Little kids: 6 feet. Bonus: 7 pecks.
Big kids: 12 worms. Bonus: 36 worms, since there are 6 sets of 10 minutes.