Today's idea: Enter the Magical World of Birds!
Birds are always busy, but many are particularly busy in the springtime. Spring is a time when they are partnering, nesting, and seeing to their young.
Birds are a world that's not easy to enter. Most are elusive - rarely staying put for more than a fleeting moment. They have many jobs to see to and most, especially our songbirds, have many predators to watch-out-for and to keep at-bay.
The world of birds is not a readily, or easily, accessible world for most individuals, regardless of age. Gaining entry into that magic world requires a basic desire as well as a willingness to develop the ability to stay quiet and still, to listen, and to watch. Developing the ability to be SO quiet and still that we become invisible, is, crazy hard for most adults. For many children, it runs contrary to their natural predispositions.
As adults, we can't, nor should we, ever expect that children will enter the secret world of birds easily. It's a process. Our gift, as adults, lies in the opportunity we have provide them with access to a glimpse of what's on the other side - with reasons that will motivate them toward wanting to see, and know, more. Just spending time noticing the birds in our own backyards, is an invitation. Every time we do it, we grow their desire to know more about the secret, mostly unseen, life of birds! And, that desire to know more is what motivates children to grow those small moments of quiet or stillness their sweet, young bodies, and spirits, can achieve.
SO, walk around the block. Invite your children to notice how many different bird sounds they can hear. Ask them, when they hear a bird making a sound, whether that bird sounds angry or happy. Whether that bird is singing or scolding. Whether that bird sounds like a bird they have ever heard before or sounds like a new bird.
Both adults and children may be hard-pressed to identify which bird is making which sound. Still, many of our Learning Outside youngsters actually hold a wealth of knowledge - they know the sound of the blue jay, the chickadee, various woodpeckers, hawks and more... But regardless of what you, or your child knows, you can definitely talk, and wonder, together, about what you hear and what you notice. You can wonder, together!
If your take that walk around the block to listen to the birds, please share what you hear and what you wondered about...
Birds are always busy, but many are particularly busy in the springtime. Spring is a time when they are partnering, nesting, and seeing to their young.
Birds are a world that's not easy to enter. Most are elusive - rarely staying put for more than a fleeting moment. They have many jobs to see to and most, especially our songbirds, have many predators to watch-out-for and to keep at-bay.
The world of birds is not a readily, or easily, accessible world for most individuals, regardless of age. Gaining entry into that magic world requires a basic desire as well as a willingness to develop the ability to stay quiet and still, to listen, and to watch. Developing the ability to be SO quiet and still that we become invisible, is, crazy hard for most adults. For many children, it runs contrary to their natural predispositions.
As adults, we can't, nor should we, ever expect that children will enter the secret world of birds easily. It's a process. Our gift, as adults, lies in the opportunity we have provide them with access to a glimpse of what's on the other side - with reasons that will motivate them toward wanting to see, and know, more. Just spending time noticing the birds in our own backyards, is an invitation. Every time we do it, we grow their desire to know more about the secret, mostly unseen, life of birds! And, that desire to know more is what motivates children to grow those small moments of quiet or stillness their sweet, young bodies, and spirits, can achieve.
SO, walk around the block. Invite your children to notice how many different bird sounds they can hear. Ask them, when they hear a bird making a sound, whether that bird sounds angry or happy. Whether that bird is singing or scolding. Whether that bird sounds like a bird they have ever heard before or sounds like a new bird.
Both adults and children may be hard-pressed to identify which bird is making which sound. Still, many of our Learning Outside youngsters actually hold a wealth of knowledge - they know the sound of the blue jay, the chickadee, various woodpeckers, hawks and more... But regardless of what you, or your child knows, you can definitely talk, and wonder, together, about what you hear and what you notice. You can wonder, together!
If your take that walk around the block to listen to the birds, please share what you hear and what you wondered about...
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