DaffodilDreams Posted May 10, 2013 Share Posted May 10, 2013 Does anyone else have a child who is so into birds that he/she has requested studying ornithology for science? If so, what did you use? We've been following a four year science cycle, and I figured we would move on to physics next year (she'll be in 4th grade), but then she said she wanted to learn what ornithologists learn. After listening, I thought why not? There are so many science options out there, so why limit ourselves? I think I will sneak in some physics, anyway, by studying birds and flight. I did an online search for resources and saw that Cornell has a section for ornithology and kids, but I'm also open to hearing from anyone else who has covered this subject with their child. I'd love to hear about resources you used, activities completed, etc. We have lots of bird guides (print and app), and our backyard is a certified wildlife habitat, so we have plenty of specimens frequenting our yard. We're also not opposed to venturing out to natural areas for more variation. Thanks in advance to anyone able to share ideas, resources, or information with us. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fairfarmhand Posted May 10, 2013 Share Posted May 10, 2013 well...If you don't mind a evangelical Christain view point, my dd loved Apologia's flying creatures of the fifth day study. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
helena Posted May 10, 2013 Share Posted May 10, 2013 here's an old thread with some great ideas: http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/topic/372642-making-a-list-of-ideas-and-resources-for-bird-unit-studies-can-you-add-anything/page__hl__%2Bbird Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dorothythomas Posted May 10, 2013 Share Posted May 10, 2013 Cornell has a home study on ornithology. It's aimed at adults but I am going to work through it with my 9YO. I've had it for a while and I think it is really in depth and we are going to add some fun stuff and list keeping and more. I have a plan if you are interested. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2_girls_mommy Posted May 10, 2013 Share Posted May 10, 2013 This past year we did Memoria Press' 5th grade Bird Unit study and Apologia Flying Creatures of the 5th day. I did the MP one w/my 8 and 10 yr old and then dd8 ended up taking the Apologia class in co-op, and it went even deeper. We did a lot with birds this year. We learned about flight. We learned about eggs. We learned about all things birds. We have an incubator going right now hoping to hatch some. We joined our Audobon society for a couple of meetings and the Christmas Bird Count Census. We knew nothing about birds before, so it was a great year for us. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
myfatherslily Posted May 10, 2013 Share Posted May 10, 2013 I agree that Apologia's Zoology 1: Flying Creatures is good if you don't mind a Christian perspective. Lots of facts! There is an entire chapter about flight, so you'd have your sneaky-physics part covered. :) My kids and I also loved the Burgess Bird Book, which you can find free online (though I ended up buying an inexpensive Kindle version from amazon). We've had a lot of fun studying birds this year! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kfamily Posted May 11, 2013 Share Posted May 11, 2013 Here is what I have on my blog about ornithology: Ornithology: About Birds: A Guide for Children by Cathryn Sill (for younger children) Backyard Birds of Winter by Carol Lerner (for younger children) The Burgess Bird Book by T. Burgess Biography: The Story of John J. Audubon by Joan Howard *This is the book I have, but there are many biographies available and this could be substituted. I will look for one free online, but the library should have at least one biography available. I do like the copy I have if you could find it. The Boy Who Drew Birds: A Story of John James Audubon by Jacqueline Davies and Melissa Sweet Audubon's Birds of Ameica Coloring Book (Dover) *Again there are free coloring pages of birds but these are from John J. Audubon's work and thus go well with the biography too. Also, if you purchased the Nature Book to Color from Rod and Staff there are pages with many birds to be colored. Although we love the Burgess Bird Book, I have noted that it is not a favorite with everyone. With this in mind, I found another free Google book that would make a great alternative. Here: Birds Through the Year by Alfred Field Gilmore Bird Audio and Video: The Cornell Lab of Ornithology Bird Coloring Book (PDF): The Cornell Lab of Ornithology Printable Page to Label (PDF): Bird Diagram Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hsmom2011 Posted May 11, 2013 Share Posted May 11, 2013 n/m Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaffodilDreams Posted May 11, 2013 Author Share Posted May 11, 2013 I love these suggestions and am eager to look into them. Thanks so much for all of the help! : ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
helena Posted May 11, 2013 Share Posted May 11, 2013 We also enjoyed She's Wearing a Dead Bird on Her Head! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duckens Posted May 11, 2013 Share Posted May 11, 2013 We have a 6yo bird nerd in our house. 1) Beginning Birdwatcher's Book with 48 stickers Rainbow Resource has a few other birdwatching books, too, so take a look. 2) Get to know your rangers at the local nature center. Our nature center has a bird blind (built by an Eagle Scout) out in the woods, and a feeding station just outside the Nature Center. Discuss with the rangers when the best time for observing migration (and the birds that come through) is. You'd better buy yourself a warm hat and coat....and an alarm clock. We are always told dawn in early spring. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alessandra Posted May 11, 2013 Share Posted May 11, 2013 Here is a link to the requirements for the Boy Scout Bird Study Merit Badge http://usscouts.org/mb/mb029.asp It sounds as though your dd has already done many of the requirements, but she might enjoy the MB book (less than $5), which is available in scout shops & some outdoor stores. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
waa510 Posted May 11, 2013 Share Posted May 11, 2013 We're in the middle of a bird unit study as well. Here's a link to my Pinterest board with all my links. My Dd has loved the Life of Birds episodes ( the first one involved the evolution of birds and was very well done) and the experiment using different tools to mimic the beaks of various birds to show how their beak shape/size aid them in eating. It was an easy way to work in natural selection. I also love the Cornell Amazing Birds curriculum for kids as it incorporates a mini-physics study looking at the flight of birds and their songs. http://pinterest.com/waa510/bird-unit-study/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BatmansWife Posted May 11, 2013 Share Posted May 11, 2013 Home Science Adventures Discovering Birds would be fun to add in. Memoria Press has a What's That Bird set that looks good. We have this kids bird log and like it a lot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaffodilDreams Posted May 11, 2013 Author Share Posted May 11, 2013 We're in the middle of a bird unit study as well. Here's a link to my Pinterest board with all my links. My Dd has loved the Life of Birds episodes ( the first one involved the evolution of birds and was very well done) and the experiment using different tools to mimic the beaks of various birds to show how their beak shape/size aid them in eating. It was an easy way to work in natural selection. I also love the Cornell Amazing Birds curriculum for kids as it incorporates a mini-physics study looking at the flight of birds and their songs. http://pinterest.com...ird-unit-study/ Thanks! I love your pinterest board. I haven't heard of The Life of Birds before now, but it looks like we can view them either on YouTube or Amazon Prime, so we'll take a look. Dd loves videos. We have an Audobon center w/in a easy drive and have attended the annual hummingbird festivals, so we've done the beak activity before. It might not hurt to try it again as a reminder, though. The Cornell unit sounds like a winner, too. Thanks so much for these ideas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaffodilDreams Posted May 11, 2013 Author Share Posted May 11, 2013 Home Science Adventures Discovering Birds would be fun to add in. Memoria Press has a What's That Bird set that looks good. We have this kids bird log and like it a lot. I like the looks of the bird log. I was just going to buy a sketch book for her, but this looks like it has space to sketch plus a checklist to fill in. Is that right? Does it have certain pages pre-set for specific birds, or are all pages open-ended so you can fill it with whatever birds you find? Thanks! : ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaffodilDreams Posted May 11, 2013 Author Share Posted May 11, 2013 We also enjoyed She's Wearing a Dead Bird on Her Head! This sounds like an interesting book. I wasn't quite sure what to expect when I saw the title, but it looks like a gem. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BatmansWife Posted May 12, 2013 Share Posted May 12, 2013 I like the looks of the bird log. I was just going to buy a sketch book for her, but this looks like it has space to sketch plus a checklist to fill in. Is that right? Does it have certain pages pre-set for specific birds, or are all pages open-ended so you can fill it with whatever birds you find? Thanks! : ) They are open-ended. The log pages are all like what the two sample pages are....of course, each bird fact on the side is different. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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