The new revised Children’s Bluebird Activity Book is available at Mountain Bluebird Trails website where you can download a copy or order copies of this wonderful children’s book.

The book contains fascinating facts, stories, quizzes, puzzles, photographs, pictures to color and more. It is written at the 4th grade level so parents, grandparents, teachers and other youth leaders should find it to be a valuable tool when working with grade school age children.  This book was created to educate adults and children about the conservation of bluebirds and other cavity nesting birds and would be a great Christmas present to get kids interested in birds and conservation.

Another great book out for kids is B is for Bufflehead.  B is for Bufflehead’s collection of fun feathered friends introduces little ones to the alphabet and to the wonderful world of birds. Eye-catching and humorous photographs of over 60 unique North American bird species cover the alphabet from A to Z, with each charming bird captivating youngsters with fun and engaging facts.

In the reference section, more detailed information about each bird is provided, including range, habitat, diet, and more fun facts. There’s even a Who’s Who challenge that is sure to entertain all ages.  This is a book that will not only engage children, but also parents or grandparents who wish to share a fun reading experience with their child or grandchild.

Chippy Chipmunk Parties in the Garden‘s story is based on the delightful antics of the author’s resident chipmunk in her garden. It gives the reader a close-up view of the chipmunk, birds and other wildlife and provides interesting expressions not available to the naked eye. Reading level is age 6-10 but the amazing photography appeals to all ages.

Educating children and adults in conservation, with stories of birds and other wild animals, is one way to insure that our planet will keep the diversity we enjoy now for future generations.  The earlier our children aquire this knowledge of the wonderful world around them, the brighter our future becomes.  Enjoy!

News Release December 19, 2008 – Revised teaching unit is released from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology

Ithaca, NY–Why is that crow chasing a hawk? Do birds fly away from noisy places? How long will an American Robin spend pulling a worm from the ground? The BirdSleuth curriculum from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology is all about tapping into a child’s natural curiosity to answer scientific questions in a fun way. The just-released revision of the Exploring Bird Behavior module offers educators even more lessons, posters, and multimedia resources. The new student toolkit comes with two important tools for collecting behavioral information about birds: a BirdSleuth stopwatch and tally counter.

“Kids love to work with gadgets,” says Birdsleuth project leader Jennifer Fee. “Give them a stopwatch or put them in a lab coat, and they transform into little scientists. And then it becomes easier to explain tricky concepts, such as the difference between a behavioral event and a behavioral state.” (An event can be counted; a state can be timed.)

This module also comes with a DVD showing bird behaviors most students have never seen, including stunning slow-motion video of the exotic courtship dance of the Greater Sage-Grouse. A 32-page teacher’s guide includes step-by-step instructions for completing all six lessons, or “investigations.”

The Exploring Bird Behavior module, like the others in the BirdSleuth series, engages students in inquiry by building lessons and activities around citizen-science projects from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. This module uses the Crows Count project. Students count crows and their relatives (ravens, magpies, and jays), observe their behaviors, and report what they see to the Cornell Lab where scientists are studying the dynamics of group behavior in crows.

“BirdSleuth gets kids interested in nature, gets them outside, and teaches them to think more critically,” says Fee. “They ask questions, collect data, look for patterns and evidence, test ideas, make conclusions, and share results.”

To learn more about the new Exploring Bird Behavior module and about the entire BirdSleuth curriculum, visit www.birds.cornell.edu/BirdSleuth.edu. The staff is happy to answer any questions about how to make Birdsleuth a welcome supplement to your existing science curriculum.

Contact:
Jennifer Fee, Project Leader, (607) 254-2403, jms327@cornell.edu.

The Cornell Lab of Ornithology is a membership institution dedicated to interpreting and conserving the earth’s biological diversity through research, education, and citizen science focused on birds. Visit the Lab’s web site at www.birds.cornell.edu.

Ian “Birdbooker” Paulsen has created a list of the top 50 books that every birder should have in their “basic” library.  You can download the list in PDF format from my Resources Page.

Grrlscientist from Living the Scientific Life always has the latest book reviews and The Birdfreak Team has a book review page with loads of great bird book reviews.

Here are some other great bird book resources and reviews…

Living the Scientific Life (Scientist, Interrupted): Birds in the … – This week’s issue of the Birdbooker Report lists ecology, evolution, natural history and bird books that are (or will soon be) available for purchase. Ian also recently published an article in the magazine, Winging It, about the 100 …

Review of Falcons of North America – Falcons of North America by Kate Davis is a fact-loaded complete study of the six species of falcons that are found in North America. The detailed, yet readable text is interspersed with over 200 of the most amazing falcon photographs, most by Rob Palmer and Nick Dunlop, two superb photographers.

Review Roundup: December 1, 2008 – Review Roundup: In Print, July and August ‘08 · Review Roundup: October 28, 2008 · New Bird Books to be Published in April and May, 2008 · Smithsonian Field Guide to the Birds of North America · Review Roundup: The Smithsonian Guide …

Truly Essential – Pete Dunne’s Essential Field Guide Companion – Shelfari: A Community for Bibliophiles · Between the Wingtips: The Secret Life of Birds · New Bird Books to be Published in April and May, 2008 · Review Roundup: April 17, 2008 · Arctic National Wildlife Refuge: Seasons of Life and Land …

The Owl and the Woodpecker (Paul Bannick) – Bird books seem to my biggest new indulgence this year. No fewer than seven of them have followed me home (so far) in the last 12 months. [I’ve reviewed several here; search my blog for “birds” to retrieve them. …

My friend Eddie over at Birdfreak has some super Birding Guides for Kids that you can download from him by clicking on the link above or you can go to my resources page and download them from there.  Either way you get some great information on how to get kids interested in birding and how to guide them on a birding trip.  Even if you download them here, you need to check out Birdfreak for a real treat.