Birding and children

In another life I was a primary (elementary) school teacher for 35 years until I retired several years ago.

During my time with children mostly aged between 6 and 10 I promoted the love and study of birds. I always included as many units of study on birds as I could fit into the curriculum. I also included units of work on animals, insects, plants and the environment in general. Most of my teaching was pre-internet, so much of our classroom study was confined to books.

Whenever possible, however, these studies flowed out into the real environment. I remember fondly many class excursions and school camps where I led children into natural environments distant and different from their home town. Some of these were in the Mt Lofty Ranges and the Adelaide Hills, South Australia. Others were at the seaside location of Victor Harbor.

I recently discovered a website of someone working with children in schools teaching them about birds. I think it’s a delightful site, full of information relevant to children and with interactive pages. It also includes teaching resources. The downside is that it deals mostly in birds found in north America.

Link:

• Kidwings – a website for teaching children about birds.

Australian Pelicans, Rocky Gully Wetlands