I was recently inspired by Tammy in her post about the "Great Backyard Bird Count" to have my children do some birdwatching for Nature Study. Here's how it is going so far:
Day 1: Monday, February 18. It was a lovely morning here, surprisingly warm. I told the kids we'd be doing some birdwatching. My oldest got the camera while the younger children got their shoes on. No jackets needed! The four children burst out of the house and proceeded to prance around the back yard. Me: "Do you think we are going to have any birds with you guys making that kind of noise?! If we are going to watch birds then I think we had better be a little more quiet!" Eventually the kids quieted down but the only birds we were ever able to see were from a great distance. They were either sitting way up in the trees or were flying in the sky over a distant meadow.
Okay, a whole week has gone by and I have not taken the time to post any more because we had a busy week last week. We had a tough week with getting Samuel to cooperate with his school work. There was a lot of waiting him out at the table.
In summary, I figured out that we needed a bird feeder to attract some birds. We got one on Tuesday. A few days went by without us seeing any birds but yesterday I finally noticed some! This will be an ongoing family project. Thanks for the inspiration Tammy. I should also thank my Mom, who has also inspired me to watch birds over the years. She gave me the book we'll be using to identify birds about seven or eight years ago. It's about time I put it to use!
9 comments:
How fun! I love birds and it's a lot of fun seeing all that come to a feeder! Once one finds it, the word spreads fast! I know you will enjoy it!
A lovely idea to do with the family!
Hurray!
What you will find in time is that nature study is a good tonic for the wearing homeschooling momma, too!!!
You're right, Betsy, the word does spread fast! The tree that the feeder is in is now hopping with eager little Chickadees!
What I really like about this activity is how all the kids get something out of it, each at their own level. I also like that they have interest in it..I'm not dragging them into it kicking and screaming (well, maybe I have to with Samuel just a little bit!).
Hi! Thanks so much for your kind comments on my blog. Yours is lovely and I'm adding you to my Google reader. I look forward to getting to know you on FCL.
I Love birds--except out by me we have a problem with West Nile so the birds we see in the spring may not be ones we see in the summer.
Crows, especially. I just saw some for the first time in many, many months.
Try getting a bird feeder that takes thistle seeds. You'll get finches; at least, we do around here. They're really cute!
You're doing a great job!
Bird watching is a wonderful hobby.
You have the most beautiful pictures! I this one.
That sounds so fun. I think I'm going to add bird watching too. This will fit in w/ our Life Science unit. Thanks for sharing!!!
What a great 'project' - I might have to borrow the idea!!
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