Bird Center

The bird center is finally getting some love!  Some of the girls were checking it out during center/play time today.  I heard gasps of excitement as they commented on birds that they knew!  They were pretty happy!  The kindergartners can now identify 30 species of birds and they know most of their songs.  They also know a bit about each bird too.  They have caught on quickly with little effort as this age kids are a bit like sponges soaking up knowledge of things they are interested in. Whenever we have a few minutes here or there, we run through the bird flashcards.  

Do they need to know about birds?  They do not, but it is nice for them to learn about their natural environment, it helps them to be more aware of their surroundings, and it is something they can take with them and use for the rest of their life.  

This bird knowledge carries over into their school work.  I have noticed that students are more aware of details in text and in pictures after learning to distinguish between different bird species.  Kindergartners become more excited about learning since they now know something that many other kids and adults do not.  A parent told me that their child became more confident because knowing a lot about birds made her feel special and gained her more attention from family and friends.  I love that it gives us a common interest to build on.  They come into the room in the morning announcing the birds they had seen.  I think it is a good thing for teachers to share their passion with their students.  I can work birds into their curriculum and that makes reading, writing and math more interesting to them when its about birds.