Turn birding into a seek-and-find adventure the whole family can enjoy with a bird-watching scavenger hunt from Backpack Explorer: Bird Watch.
Art excerpted from Backpack Explorer: Bird Watch
If you are looking for a quiet activity that connects your kids to nature, try bird-watching. It’s a wonderful way to spend time outdoors and to tune into your natural surroundings. Children can engage their observation skills and their senses as they listen for bird calls, find feathers, and search for flying, perching, and swimming birds.
You can make bird-watching even more fun by turning it into a scavenger hunt! Just download and print this bird scavenger hunt sheet from Backpack Explorer: Bird Watch, grab some binoculars, and head outside. Mark each item on the sheet as kids find it.
Art excerpted from Backpack Explorer: Bird Watch
Here are some additional tips for helping new birders find feathered friends:
- Pick a spot to stand outdoors in your backyard or at a local park. Encourage your kids to watch patiently for a few minutes. Remind them that when they’re still, they’ll see more birds.
- Listen quietly for bird calls. Have the kids close their eyes and notice the sounds all around them. Can they hear songbirds singing, a woodpecker drumming, or a goose honking?
- When you see a bird, notice its behavior. Is the bird singing, flying, perching, walking, or wading? Is it nesting or feeding?
- Look at the bird’s size, shape, and color to help identify it. Try to find some common birds that are easy to recognize, such as a Black-capped Chickadee, an American Robin, or a Goldfinch.
- Encourage kids to follow flying birds with their eyes. They might see them fly to their nest or search for something to eat.
- Look around for signs of birds. Ask kids if they can spot a feather, a bird footprint, poop, or even owl pellets.
- Start a family bird-watch list. Keep track of what you see in a notebook and add to it throughout the years. You’ll treasure the memories of birding together.
