Owl Pellet Kit

A friend of mine is homeschooling and she was looking for some unique ideas to give some science lessons. She ended up finding an Owl Pellet Field Biology Kit and I am so fascinated that I am tempted to see if anyone sells them locally so I can get a kit for my family to play around with.

It’s a bit morbid but a fantastic way to teach about the food chain. Owls can’t digest the bones of the small animals they eat so after everything else is digested, the bones turn into pellets inside their bodies and are then regurgitated. With the kit, you receive three pellets from Barn Owls. Using some forceps, a magnifying glass, study guide, and other handy tools, you and your child can dissect the pellets to reveal the skeletons inside. From there, you can piece the information together to determine what small animal the owl has eaten.

It specifies that it’s for ages six and up but I bet you could so it with younger kids too if you’re willing to do a lot of the work yourself. A little caveat from my friend – she said that you could do it dry or soak the pellets first and there are pros and cons to each. The dry method takes quite a bit longer because it’s harder to dissect. However, although soaking it first makes it much easier to pull the pellet apart, there will be a smell issue to contend with. Yikes!

Still, I’d do it. Then again, in grade six our science teacher dissected a sheep eye for us to see and I was so fascinated that I begged to take one home because my mother had a dissecting kit from her college biology days. And yes, I really did bring home a sheep eye in a little jar and yes, my mom and I dissected it – for fun. Would you dissect an owl pellet?