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Quiescent Quails
(God's Animals)
by Sandra Harris

God has given the quail an amazing sense of peace and wisdom when it's in the presence of its enemies. An enemy or a hunter can get so close to a quail that he almost steps on it, but the quail will stay still and quiet.

Characteristic: trusting God to care for us because He gives us His wisdom and help

Bible Verse: Be quiet and know that I am God. Psalm 46:10

Concepts:

There are 70 species of quail, most of which are found in the tropics. Only seven species are native to the U.S. The Bobwhite quail is probably the best-known species in the U.S. It’s also called the partridge, and it’s found in the eastern half of the U.S.

The quail is a ground-dwelling bird that feeds on insects and other small pests and large amounts of seeds, especially those of plants we call weeds. The quail can fly, but it only makes short flights. It builds its nest on the ground, where it lays white eggs that hatch in 24 days. The babies are able to care for themselves almost immediately.

An adult quail is about 10 inches long and has a plump body. Its reddish-brown or chestnut coloring helps it to hide in thickets or in dry grass. When danger approaches, the quail stays very still in its hiding place until the danger has passed. A passerby might almost step on a quail without causing the quail to budge. Quail parents teach their offspring at a very young age this art of staying still and quiet.

We could say that God has given the quail an amazing sense of peace and wisdom when it’s in the presence of its enemies. When we trust God, He will help us to stay calm so that we can do what we need to do. Even in danger, we can feel peaceful and quiet inside knowing that God will take care of us.

Center Activities

Manipulatives: Explain the concept of camouflage, then encourage children to build shelters (places of safety) in which to hide various toys. For example, what could they make that would safely hide a blue truck? A pink cat? A rainbow colored pony?

Science/Art: Look through old magazines for pictures of animals; cut then out. Give each child a small book made of quarter sheets or half sheets of colored construction paper. Have children glue pictures to the color of paper that would give the animal the most camouflage.

Craft: Quail Nature Picture

Materials Needed:
coloring page of quail
dry grasses
grains and seeds
glue
crayons

To Make:
Have children color the quail, then glue the grassed, grains and seeds around them.

Links to quail coloring pages:

allaboutnature.com

dltk-kids.com

kaweahoaks.com

Story Time: Quincy Quail and Chicken Noodle Soup

Enrichment Ideas:

1. Play games that require waiting or being still, such as Hide-n-Seek, Red Light-Green Light, Frozen Tag, etc.

2. Ask children to look at the colors they are wearing. Where would they need to go to blend in with their environment? Some examples:
Green – in a tree with green leaves
Purple – in a field of purple flowers
Hawaiian print – in a flower garden
Black and white – in a flock of penguins
You don’t need to be totally serious. Have fun, but get the concept correct.

3. Compile a list of words that begin with the letter “Q.”

4. Talk about how people long ago wrote with quill pens. Experiment with this technique of writing by using large craft feathers for quills and berry juice for ink.

5. Play a variety of different types of music. Ask the children to tell you which ones make them feel quiet and still.

6. Play some of the children quiet choices of music while they paint. Ask them to paint what they feel in the music.

7. Do a fire drill. Discuss how remaining calm and quiet (being still on the inside) doesn’t always mean to be physically still.

8. People eat grains and seeds, too. Talk about some of our favorites and how we use them. We usually make grain into flour or cereal – The Little Red Hen story is a good tool for this discussion. Some of our favorite seeds include sunflower, sesame and poppy. Some seeds are eaten as snacks, others are used to flavor other foods, and some are eaten as vegetables (peas, green beans). Put out a variety of edible seeds for children to touch, smell and taste.

9. Make poppy seed muffins.

10. Visit a farm where they grow grains or harvest seeds for food.

11. During the fall, take a walk outdoors to look for plants that are giving off seeds. Many flowers, weeds and trees will be dropping their seeds or bursting seed pods. Dandelions produce seed throughout much of the year in warmer climates.

12. Books to look for: There are a few books out there on quail, but since I haven’t read them or any reviews on them, I’m not providing links to them. There are many books about seeds; I’ve posted links below to some of my favorites. (The links take you to Amazon.com’s information on the book.)
The Hunter and the Quail, Trudy Crafts, baby-preschool
Bob White the Quail, Dave Sargent, ages 4-8
The Tiny Seed, Eric Carle, ages 4-8
From Seed to Plant, Gail Gibbons, ages 4-8
The Magic School Bus Plants Seeds : A Book About How Living Things Grow, Joanna Cole, ages 4-8
The Carrot Seed, Ruth Kraus, ages 4-8. This book has been a favorite for many years.
Berries, Nuts and Seeds (Take-Along Guide), Diane L. Burns, ages 4-8. A great resource to take on nature walks.
Ten Seeds, Ruth Brown, baby-preschool. I’ve been a fan of Ruth Brown’s work for many years. This book is a wonderful introduction to the cycle of life.