Never be within doors when you can rightly be without.
Charlotte Mason
Nature study is a cornerstone of many homeschooling methods for one simple reason — children are happier and healthier when they have ample time to play and explore in the fresh air.
While you’re outside, take some time to get to know your most frequent outdoor companions — your local birds. Did you know that scientists estimate there are 18,000 species and between 200 billion and 400 billion individual birds in the world? That’s a lot of little friends flitting by to brighten your garden with their songs and colorful plumage.
Meet the Birds
Get familiar with your local birds simply by spending some time with your children observing where birds tend to rest and feed around your yard. You can use a field guide or an app to help you identify birds you often see in your area. I recommend Merlin Bird ID (iOS or Android), but there are many different ones to try. Keep a simple log of the birds you notice over the course of a week, and you may be surprised how many different species you’ll spot and how quickly your little ones will recognize them! We typically see between twelve and fifteen species per day in one busy corner of our yard.
As you spend time getting to know your birds, notice the effect that they have on your children as well. Nothing amazes me quite as much as watching my rambunctious four-year-old sit stone still and silent, enraptured by a cardinal munching on some sunflower seeds. In addition to honing their skills of observation and patience, backyard birding is a great time for your children to practice using binoculars, which will come in handy on hikes, camping trips, and other family adventures!
Count Your Birds
Participate in this year’s Great Backyard Bird Count to assist researchers at Cornell Lab of Ornithology and the National Audubon Society as they learn more about how birds are doing and how to help them thrive! Just fifteen minutes in your own backyard will help provide valuable information about the locations and numbers of your local bird population.
If you miss the dates for GBBC this year, don’t fear — you can log your bird watching adventures any time with the eBird app by Cornell Lab, which is free for iOS or Android.
See More Birds
Attracting birds to your yard is about more than just hanging a feeder. Birds need shelter, water, and nutritious food sources throughout the year. Your backyard is just a small piece of your surrounding ecosystem. Talk with your children about what animals need to survive and thrive, and work together to survey your yard to see what resources your local birds have and what they might need. I highly recommend Gardening for the Birds to get you started. Include some research on native plants as these make the most natural companions to the birds in your area.
I hope this gets you and your children off to a great start loving and caring for your local birds! For an extra February treat, try making them these Valentine’s Day seed cakes!