Getting kids into bird watching is a great way to foster curiosity for the natural world and improve their environmental awareness of not only the birds around them but also the plants and animals as well.
To help create a starting point for these young birders, we have created a free downloadable booklet to help your child or student get inspired to start learning about the world of birds.
This booklet can be downloaded and then completed at your child’s or students’ own pace. Once completed, you can email us at Fisk.audubon@gmail.com and we will email you your Jr Birder Certification award that you can download and print.
Designed for kids ages 4 to 10, we hope that this booklet can create a foundation of learning for those interested in the birds around them.
Downloads:
Instructions:
Print this booklet out, you can make it two-sided by printing page 1 and 2 back to back, page 3 and 4 back to back and so on.
The bird journal is designed so the pages can be folded in half to make a small booklet. Print one copy of the front cover and as many inside pages as you like, with these pages printed on both sides. To have a booklet that can hold 40 species, print 10 double-sided pages. Fold them together and then staple the center binding from the outside to create a booklet.
Besides this booklet, there are many other ways to help inspire this curiosity and learn more about the plants and animals around them.
Here are some fun ways to get them more curious about nature that is all around them:
- Put up bird feeders.
- Put up a bird nestbox to learn about a bird’s lifecycle.
- Help create a bird-friendly garden.
- Make a game of finding different species such as scavenger hunts.
- Download phone apps such as Merlin Bird ID or iNaturalist to help identify birds, plants, and insects you find on your hikes.
- Creating a bird sketchbook.
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