Uncover the secrets of nature with owl pellet dissection! Ideal for homeschool science, check out engaging activities to spark curiosity and learning.

Meet the Amazing World of Owls
My older boys and I did a lesson on owls. It was one of our favorite homeschool science activities to date! We started off by reading the owl chapter out of our Among the Forest People book. We then read some other picture books, watched some youtube videos on owls, and did some notebooking. Then, we got to the owl pellet dissection kit! My boys did this activity with Dad, as I was super pregnant and not thrilled about touching animal bones. They absolutely loved it!
Simple Studies: Forest Creatures
To complete our study on owls, we were using Simple Studies: Forest Creatures. Simple Studies Forest Creatures is a Charlotte Mason living science instructor handbook for K-6 students. It’s a fun way to introduce students to forest animals and habits.
It includes:
- 20 simple Lessons that correspond with each chapter of Among the Forest People
- 20 Hand-drawn Coloring Pages for younger students to use while you read aloud
- Picture Booklists for each lesson
- List of “General” Forest Picture and Resource Books for all grade levels
- Chapter Review and Narration prompts
- Field Guide Recommendations, guidance and prompts for older students
- Specific visual aid and video links for most lessons
- Dictation Exercises
- Handbook of Nature Study page guides
- Animal Species Pictures for nature drawing
- Forest Creatures Poetry
- Bible verse memorization prompts
- Optional research and writing projects
- Copywork Pages
- Review Questions
Unveiling the Secrets Within: A Closer Look at Owl Pellets
Owl pellet dissection is a great biology activity that brings nature indoors. It’s a hands-on project that help students learn about food chains and ecosystems.
Connect your students to nature by introducing owl pellets for dissection to your homeschoolers. Gets students face-to-face with nature by learning about food chain studies, prey and predator relationships, anatomy, the importance of predators, and how these animals help farmers by playing an essential role in healthy ecosystems.
Sometimes teaching science can be a real challenge to come up with ideas to keep the attention of young students. This interesting science exercise keeps students involved by helping them identify what prey an owl has consumed.
This tactile project enhances the learning process by getting students interested in the environment.
Students explore and use the scientific method. This project is great for kindergarten to high school students. My boys absolutely loved it!
Decoding the Diet: Analyzing Owl Pellet Contents
To find the indigestible portions (or bones) of the shrews, voles, and other animals that barn owls consume, look inside an owl pellet. Students can better comprehend and distinguish the various creatures in a barn owl’s food web by using the accompanying bone chart to identify jawbones, skulls, and other bits and pieces. Your owl pellet dissection kit will have everything you need to complete the dissection.
Predator to Prey: Investigating the Owl’s Feeding Habits
The following questions might help you come up with a good science project:
- What does the number of different bones you found tell you about a barn owl’s eating habits?
- Can you construct a food chain for the barn owl?
Nature’s Tiny Treasures: Identifying the Bones and Remains
Your owl pellet dissection kit will come with a chart to help you identify bones and remains that the barn owl has eaten. One of my boys was completely captivated by this, while the other was grossed out! Many of the bones were recognizable, making it even more interesting.

Hands-on Science: Exploring Owl Pellet Dissection Techniques
You’ll want to make sure you thoroughly wash your hands before and after. You can also use nitrate gloves.
Your owl pellet dissection kit will come with tweezers to make the pellets easier to dissect. You may also need a paper towel or paper plate to complete the project.
Grab Your Owl Dissection Kit
This is the exact owl pellet dissection kit we used. We explored the barn owl pellets. It’s a very affordable option and will come with what you need. The one kit worked fine for us, but consider getting other sizes to compare the bones and diets of different sized owls.
Discover the Enchanting World of Owls through Captivating Stories
Here are some of the books we read to accommodate our Simple Studies Forest Creatures lesson on owls!



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