Year of the Bird July Call to Action: Take a Child into Nature
The Year of the Bird July call to action is to take a child into nature. Even with school out, summer is a great time to learn! Spending time with children outside, and discovering new things, may spark a lifelong passion and value of environmental stewardship—plus it’s an easy and cheap venue for fun!
Today, children are spending less and less time outdoors. A Nature Conservancy poll showed that only about 10% of kids spend time outside every day. Studies have shown that bird watching and other outdoor recreation activity can help kids build creativity, attention span, confidence, and happier and healthier lives.
To help the young people in your life get started early as a birder visit this National Geographic page for some great family friendly birding activities such as “Being a Detective” to identify a species or discover where birds live. You can also visit Klamath Bird Observatory’s K-12 Education Curriculum, programming in science and outdoor education that align with state and national standards. Use this month’s call to action to get the children in your life out into nature.
If you haven’t already heard, 2018 is Year of the Bird! The National Geographic Society is celebrating the centenary of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act with a year-long celebration of birds. Dozens of Year of the Bird partners, including Klamath Bird Observatory, are coordinating Year of the Bird activities.
CLICK HERE to learn more about the Year of the Bird at the National Geographic Society’s website.