Birding with Children
Teach Children About Nature and Science Through Bird Watching
There's no easier way to connect with nature and teach children about the natural world than birding.
The best way to start bird watching is by putting out a backyard feeder. Birds will flock to it.
Choosing a Birdfeeder
Of course, there are many birdfeeders too choose from. For starters, any simple feeder that can hang from a tree or stand near windows will do. Be certain to place the feeder in a spot that would be difficult for cats to get to.
A window feeder with a suction cup allows a very close look at the birds, which is most thrilling, however some birds are skittish about feeding that close to the house. Chickadees are quite brave and will stay and feed even if they notice someone watching.
Making Birdfeeders
It can be a lot of fun to make a birdfeeder. One easy method is to use a juice or milk carton, cut holes on two sides, poke a small hole in the top and attach a string. Poke small holes, on each side, about an inch from the bottom for a twig that will be used for perching.
Gourds can also make delightful bird feeders.
Feeding Goldfinches and Other Birds
Different types of seed attract different birds, however, black oil sunflower seed attracts the greatest variety of birds. For goldfinches, buy a special feeder designed for the tiny thistle or nyger seed which these birds prefer. It can be fun to put out a few feeders, each with different seed in them and observe the different birds which are attracted to each feeder.
Birds also enjoy water. It can be fun to provide a birdbath, just be sure to change the water often. Children will love watching birds take baths.
Birdhouses Offer Variety
Birdhouses come in a great variety of styles. Put out some pet hair, moss or tiny twigs near the feeder and see if the birds will carry them to the birdhouse. Although it may be difficult to actually see the baby birds, there’s no mistaking when they are there, because you will hear them.
A Garden for Birds
Birds are more likely to come to feeders near trees and bushes. They especially like conifers and they will be attracted to bushes with berries, such as elderberry. They are also attracted to native flowers. Goldfinches especially like sunflowers and coneflowers. It is a fleeting thrill to watch a hummingbird suck the nectar from honeysuckle. Other flowers that attract birds (and butterflies too) are New England asters, Joe Pye weed, monarda and goldenrod.
Native grasses that provide seed for bird are big bluestem, switch grass, Indian grass and broom sedge.
Watching and Learning About Birds
Some tools for birdwatching include binoculars and a field guide. Allison Lehnen, environmental educator for the Lake County Forest Preserve District in Illinois recommends binoculars by Eagle Optics. She says the best bird guides are by Stokes, such as Stokes Beginner's Guide to Birds Eastern Region.
When birdwatching with young children, don’t provide them with too much information, allow them to experience the birds. As Rachel Carson said, with young children it is more important to arouse their feeling, their sense of wonder, than to put them on a steady diet of facts they are not ready to assimilate (A Sense of Wonder, HarperCollins Publishers, 1965).
Ask them to listen to bird songs and see if they can distinguish one from another. They may enjoy trying to imitate the bird calls. Also ask them to imitate the way different birds walk or hop.
When out hiking, Lehnen suggests allowing the children to become aware of all the nature that surrounds them and to become fascinated with it, rather than focusing on searching for birds.
“It will take patience, but the best way to see birds is to be stealthy,” she says.
