Tom’s Balanced Bird

Tom brings a clean cardboard tube to the school craft table. Beth turns it in her hands. “That could be a bird’s body,” she says. Tom imagines a bird leaning forward, as if it has just spotted something in the grass.

They tape broad card wings to the tube and add a long folded beak. For legs, they use two short cardboard supports on a wooden base. The bird stands until Tom lets go of its head. Then it tips forwards.

Beth suggests a shorter beak. Tom does not want to lose its curious expression. Mr Finch asks them to notice which parts pull the model forwards. They rest the bird on the table and test the head without changing it yet.

Tom moves the supports farther towards the beak. The bird stays up for a moment, then rocks. Beth tries a wider foot on each support. It wobbles less, but the long beak still draws the body beyond the front edge.

They tape a small smooth pebble low inside the back of the tube. Mr Finch helps keep it secure. Now the weight at the back balances the head. Tom gently touches the base, and the bird stays upright when he lets go.

Beth bends one wing slightly away from the body. From the side, it looks ready to lift. Tom turns the base and discovers that the other wing hides the beak from the front. They adjust it so the bird’s curious look shows.

Before sharing their sculpture, they check it from every side. A strip of tape is lifting under a foot. Beth presses on a fresh piece. They leave some plain cardboard showing instead of covering every surface with feathers.

At the display, another child leans forward to look at the bird. Tom notices that they have almost the same pose. He points out the hidden pebble to Beth. Their bird needed a little weight behind it to look ready to move.