Vision

We had been filling bird feeders since the beginning of the school year but only observed local squirrels enjoying our sunflower seeds. We wanted to see birds in our Kindergarten outdoor learning environment.

Action

The Kindergarten students brainstormed ideas to attract birds to our yard and things that might help us learn more about birds. The students then drew pictures of what we most would like to have in our yard. We applied for a grant from Learning for a Sustainable Future and also reached out to Elgin Stewardship Council to see if they could help by adding a bird box. In our grant, we asked for shrubs and trees that would provide protection for birds, for a bird feeder pole with squirrel baffle, and for a bird bath. We had several parents donate bird seed at the beginning of the school year. Our grant was accepted, so we planted the shrubs and trees right away. Mr. Caughell brought a bird box to put up in our garden by the shrubs, and also helped us find an appropriate spot for our pole, which he then helped us put up. We were SO excited that within days we observed sparrows, a cardinal, blackbirds, robins and a small blue bird that we haven’t identified yet.

Reflection & Celebration

We created two bulletin boards to share our planning and brainstorming and our learning. We then began sharing what we did and what we learned with our parents and the school community by taking them on a tour. We started with our brainstorming/planning bulletin boards, then our bird art board that showed all the birds that we hoped to attract to our yard. We then took the tour outside and shared the changes we had made to the yard to attract birds. We celebrated our learning with a picnic in our Outdoor Learning area where we were treated to sparrows enjoying their lunch at our new bird feeder!