The Nest on the Chimney
It's early March in Eskikaraağaç, on the shores of Lake Uluabat. The barn chimney at Clara's grandpa's house has cracked, and the builder says the big stork nest on top of it must come down on Monday. Before the storks return, can Clara find out how they find their way back to their nest, and whether they'll accept a nest that has been moved?
Free story — no account needed to read it.
8 Minutes
4 Endings
9-10
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About This Story
“The Nest on the Chimney” is an interactive nature story for children aged 9-10, about 8 minutes long. The reader decides how it goes at 5 choice points, and there are 4 different endings. It is free to read on Kitapz, with no account needed.
- Age range
- 9-10 years
- Reading time
- about 8 minutes
- Genre
- Nature
- Format
- Interactive · 5 choice points · 4 endings
- Language
- English, Turkish
- Access
- Free, no account needed
- Characters
- Blake, Clara, Grandpa Hal, Sam the Builder, Mother Stork, Father Stork, Miss Grace
- Values
- Curiosity, Family, Caring for nature
- Collections
- Nature stories, Stories for ages 9-10
- Reading support
- dyslexia-friendly font, bionic reading, color-blindness filters
An Excerpt from the Story
Before school, Clara went out into the yard with her grandpa. The big nest on the barn's brick chimney was still empty. Every spring, Clara watched that nest's storks from her window and drew them in her sketchbook.
Grandpa Hal tipped his cap a little and turned toward the nest.
Grandpa Hal:
“Good morning! Until you get here, I'll say hello to your empty nest. Once you arrive, I'll say it to you.”
Across the road, their neighbor Blake was tying red ribbons to the pole in front of his house.
Blake:
“This year the storks are going to land on our pole, just you wait!”
Clara didn't answer him, because something at the bottom of the chimney had caught her eye. Orange dust had spilled across the roof tiles.
Clara:
“Grandpa, what's that dust on the roof?”
Grandpa Hal:
“A brick fell off the chimney this winter, sweetheart. Sam the Builder, the village builder, is coming to take a look this afternoon.”
Clara (thinking):
I'm going to run all the way home from school. I don't want to miss what he says!
“The Nest on the Chimney” · Ages 9-10 · kitapz.com
school For Parents and Teachers
In this story, children gather evidence with Clara about the stork nest on her grandpa's cracked barn chimney, checking a teacher's stork records and listening to the village builder. As well as showing how storks recognize their nests, it takes seriously Grandpa Hal's fear of losing the nest his father left him. Readers' choices decide which clues Clara follows.
What will children learn from this story?
- Learns that storks often return to the same nest each spring and find it by recognizing landmarks such as the lake, trees and rooftops.
- Practices using dated records, like a notebook of arrival days, to answer a real question.
- Learns to test an idea by asking an expert and by looking for evidence on the spot.
- Thinks about why understanding someone's worries can matter as much as giving them facts.
Curriculum links: Science, Environmental education, Life skills
Fact Box
Do storks return to the same nest every year?
Often, yes. White storks are very loyal to their nests, and a nest is typically used year after year, especially by older males. The males arrive back earlier in the season and choose the nest.
Source: Wikipedia
How heavy can a stork's nest get?
A white stork nest can weigh 60 to 250 kg (about 130 to 550 lb). It can be 1 to 2 m deep and 0.8 to 1.5 m across, and storks keep adding material to it over the years.
Source: Wikipedia
Can a stork nest in a dangerous spot be moved?
Yes. An EU LIFE conservation project in eastern Poland moved 301 white stork nests from dangerous places, such as active chimneys and power lines, to new free-standing poles with nesting platforms. The project reports that the nesting sites it secured were taken up again by storks.
Why is Eskikaraağaç called a "stork village"?
On 29 May 2011 the nature foundation EuroNatur named Eskikaraağaç, on the shore of Lake Uluabat in Turkey, the 11th European Stork Village, honoring the villagers' efforts to protect the white stork and the lake's cultural landscape. The wetlands of Lake Uluabat are protected under the international Ramsar Convention.
Source: EuroNatur
Reading Comprehension Questions (5W1H)
The questions cover the opening that every reader sees, whatever they choose. Tap a question to see the answer.
-
Who? Who does Clara think can tell her whether storks would recognize a moved nest?
Answer: Her teacher, Miss Grace, because she has the stork notebook.
-
What? What does Clara notice at the bottom of the chimney?
Answer: Orange dust spilled across the roof tiles, because a brick fell off the chimney in the winter.
-
Where? Where is the big stork nest?
Answer: On top of the brick chimney of Grandpa Hal's barn.
-
When? According to Miss Grace's notebook, when does the father stork come back each year?
Answer: In mid-March every year, and the earliest he ever arrived falls on this Monday.
-
Why? Why does Sam the Builder say the nest has to come down?
Answer: The chimney has split on the lake side and can't hold a nest as heavy as a fridge for another spring.
-
How? How do storks find their nests, according to Miss Grace?
Answer: They recognize the lake, the trees and the rooftops.
Questions to Talk About After Reading
- At the first choice, did you have Clara ask Grandpa Hal about the nest's history, or go and see the moved nests? Why did you pick that path?
- Grandpa Hal treasures the nest because it came from his father. Is there an object or a habit in your family that has been handed down from older relatives? Why does it matter to you?
- If you wanted to change a grown-up's mind, would you show them facts first, or ask them why they feel the way they do? Why?
- What can people do so that storks and other wild animals can live safely near homes and villages?
Word List
- scaffolding
- A frame of metal poles and boards that builders put up so they can stand and work high off the ground.
- binoculars
- A tool you hold up to both eyes to make faraway things look close.
- stump
- The short bottom part of a tree trunk or pole that is left in the ground after the rest is cut down.
- streak
- A long, thin mark, like the white lines of stork droppings running down the poles in the story.
- mulberry
- A tree with sweet, juicy berries; Grandpa Hal's bench sits in its shade.
- tarp
- A big, strong waterproof sheet used to cover things or lay them out on.
Activity Idea
For one week, keep an observation notebook like Miss Grace's: watch one bird, tree or nest from a window or the schoolyard each day and write down the date, the time and what you see. At the end of the week, read the notes together and talk about what kept happening again.
Completion Rewards
What you'll earn when you finish this story: