Last week was a great week to be birding in Iowa. Warblers were everywhere and the weather was perfect. But last week was about more than just birds for me. I got to host four classes of preschoolers last week and I got to teach them about birds.
I’m always nervous that my content for preschoolers is going to be too high level, and I worried about that with my bird lesson. I taught them six different birds that are pretty common in Iowa and how to use binoculars properly. After our lesson, we always go on a hike and look at some of fthe birds in the park. The hike is always fun because we see something different every time.
One class got to see a male Northern Cardinal foraging in the grass and a Gray Catbird babbling from a branch. One class witnessed Red-tailed Hawks soaring. One class got to see four out of the six birds that I taught them before we went out. This class had one little boy that caught the birding bug.
As we went out on our hike, this little boy was chatting with me a lot. I told him that if we were going to see the birds, we would have to be a little quieter. He then started whistling. When I asked him what he was doing, he said he was calling the birds. Just then, a small group of Canada Geese flew right over us. “I brought the goose!” he exclaimed.
After we were all done laughing at the groups new catchphrase, we moved along the trail. My little birder started whistling again. After a short time, a pair of Northern Cardinals flew over the group. He had called them again! After a Blue Jay began calling to his whistles later, he was hooked.
We finally got onto the trail, where the warblers were singing. My new buddy wanted to know what each one was. I identified a few for him and showed him pictures of what they looked like. When he found out that there were so many different species, he wanted to see them all. Every 5-10 steps he wanted to stop and look at the birds. Although this is typical behavior for me while I’m birding, with a group of preschoolers the pace is much too slow and the rest of the class was getting frustrated. I told my new birding friend that he should come out to the park on Mondays throughout the summer and I would go birding with him and we could stop and look at every bird.
Experiences like this prove to me that kids need nature more than any technological device in their lives. This boy had not spent much time in nature, but when he was allowed to be among it and had someone to teach him about it, he flourished. While the other kids were playing on the playground, he was still spotting birds. Nature gave him something to focus on and slowed down his busy mind.
I think that we all could use more time spent in nature. I wish that adults were able to take field trips to the park and look at everything through the lens of wonder like a preschooler does. By being present and asking questions, we can learn so much and our appreciation grows. I hope that the little boy does visit me this summer. I hope that I can tap into his curiosity and help mold a person that is curious and passionate about nature.
The List
Blackpoll Warbler
Eastern Wood-Pewee
Ovenbird
Northern Waterthrush
American Redstart
Chestnut-sided Warbler
Magnolia Warbler
Acadian Flycatcher
Bank Swallow
Gray-cheeked Thrush
I totally glossed over the fact last week that I completed my goal of 150 species this year. With that, there is so much birding left to be done. I am pushing my new goal to 175, a number that I’ve only reached twice before. If I accomplish this goal, I’ll keep pushing it higher.
This story makes me so happy!
What a GREAT story! Little kids certainly do need nature. Thank you for offering to keep him involved. He and you will both be better for it!!!