Have you ever thought about how diverse a group of animals the birds are? They are one of the few that live on land, in the water as well as in the sky. Did you know that there are at least 10,000 different species of birds with new species being discovered every day? There are currently many fun bird-watching activities for kids, find out our favorites below.
1. Learn to identify bird species
Learning bird identification is one of the fun bird-watching activities for kids ideal for all age groups, from preschoolers to teens. All you need to do to make it work is invest in a pair of birdwatching binoculars and a good bird book. Our advice is to always keep the binoculars close to the window or door to avoid the disappointment of the bird disappearing before the kid returns.
Also, the National Audubon Society has designed and published a short guide that should make it easier for you and your kids to identify birds. All About Birds is also one of the leading guides in this area. Click here to see what the experts have to say.
2. Make orange bird feeders
Although there are many fun bird-watching activities for kids that involve building a bird feeder, we have to admit that this is our favorite. Are you wondering why? It’s very simple, as this unique, DIY project uses very few materials and gives your tree a pop of color to invite the birds inside.
All you have to do is take an orange (try to convince them to eat it), fill the orange peels with birdseed, and hang it on a tree using string or yarn. When a bird finds a bird feeder, in addition to looking attractive, smells nice, and is full of food, we believe that it will return to feed again and again every day.
3. Bird anatomy for kids
This game is a great example of a STEAM activity for kids and is best done if you have a microscope. You don’t have to use a professional microscope if you don’t have access to a school lab, the play and science versions will work just fine.
Collect the feathers of different birds, put them under the microscope, and carefully observe the differences in texture, shape, and thickness of each one. We recommend that you ask your students for vivid descriptions during observations.
4. Bird bones experiment
Believe us, we are also sometimes troubled by the fact that it is even possible for birds to have such fragile and hollow bones and still be able to fly. This simple experiment is very interesting because it shows how strong a hollow structure can be by testing how many coins a structure supported by hollow paper “bones” can hold.
Our kids were surprised when they found out the correct answer.
5. Live cams
You may live in an urban environment, far away from nature and wildlife, but your children need not be sad because they can enjoy modern, fun bird-watching activities for kids – live cams. Have you ever heard of the Cornell Lab? They have a website that offers you the opportunity to observe endangered birds, birds of prey, baby birds, and parent birds in their natural habitat.
This is a truly unique way to learn about these amazing animals from the comfort of the indoors!
To Conclude
These were our top 5 fun bird-watching activities for kids. We hope you’ll be tempted to put at least one into action. Let us know your impressions; we look forward to hearing from you!
We hope you found this article useful. If you have any questions, please let us know in the comment section below.
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Author’s bio
Tony Manhart is the founder and editor in chief at Gardening Dream. Tony’s enthusiasm and rich experience in all things related to growing plants have led him to share his knowledge with gardening aficionados all over the world. When he is not working around his garden, Tony spends his time writing tips and tricks on various subjects related to plant cultivation and soil maintenance.
