Which birds visit our school grounds or local gardens, and what would help them feed well?

Meet four Irish garden birds: robin, blackbird, blue tit and chaffinch. What does each one need from a feeder?

• Robin — small, orange-breasted; often feeds low or on the ground
• Blackbird — larger; often feeds on the ground; needs space and a sturdy platform
• Blue tit — tiny; often hangs and flits on thin perches
• Chaffinch — strong seed-cracking beak; often uses hanging or tray feeders

What three things must our feeder do for small Irish garden birds?

We will pin those three needs on the board and keep them up while we imagine and plan.

First we share feeder ideas as a whole class. Call out ideas for the board. No idea is silly yet. Think about hanging designs, tray designs, or anything that could hold seed, stay dry, and give a small bird a stable perch.

Next, in your groups, shortlist the ideas you like best.

Then each group names the one idea it will take to the Design Brief and Plan page.

Here is your Design Brief and Plan page. The brief is the challenge at the top; under it you sketch and label your group’s feeder.

We already know the three user needs. Now we turn them into fair test checks that every group will use later.

Look at the board side by side:

• User need = what the birds need
• Success criterion = how we will check every feeder the same way