Last week I went back to Stowe Elementary School and had another great visit with the kindergarteners! This time, we learned how to identify common backyard birds by sight and sound. I read a book to the students, titled “Every Day Birds” by Amy Ludwig VanDerwater that showed them illustrations of crows, goldfinch, woodpeckers, owls, and many more!
Before our next activity, Mr. Decales’ class gave me a short presentation on birds they learned in their class! Each student in the class did some research, and gave me a fun fact about the birds they studied. Their presentation was a great way to start our class and get us bird focused!
After reading, each student received a pair of binoculars made by recycled materials, and drew on them with markers and crayons to make them unique. Next, the students learned about birds, what a mnemonic is, and how to identify common birds by sight and sound. The kindergarteners got a huge kick out of certain mnemonics, like “cheese burger-cheese burger-cheeseburger!” for the Black-capped Chickadee, and “Conk-la-reeeee!” for the Red-winged Blackbird. To test their skills, we played a few rounds of bird bingo! I would play the song or call from a bird, and the students would mark which species they heard on their bingo card. The students did a great job, and many of them already knew some birds from seeing them in their backyard! To wrap up the lesson, we did a common feeder birds of New England coloring sheet.
This was my last visit with the kindergarteners before summer break, and I had a great time! Thank you to Mr. Decales, Mrs. Keaton, and Mrs. Bradford for letting me stop by!