Friday, May 13, 2011

Backyard Birding - Guest Post

Yesterday Paul wrote about keeping kids focused using a simple graphic organizer.  Today, Peter teaches us how to begin a backyard birding hobby.

Backyard Birding

Hello. My name is Peter, age nine. I would like to tell you about backyard birding.

Paul and I brainstormed all the reasons you might want to have this as a hobby:

- The birds are very pretty.
- God made the birds and you will think of Him.
- You and your kids will learn about bird behaviors.
- You and your kids may learn about nesting and how birds care for their babies (if you get nesting birds).
- You will learn that God made each bird and bird egg different from the others.  There are many colors and sizes and designs.
- You will be able to relax from watch the birds.

To get started, you will need to gather some materials:

- Hummingbird feeder (fill with sugar water)

- Finch feeder for small birds like chickadees, house finch, purple finch, and goldfinch.

- Tube feeder if you have squirrels in your yard (it will say squirrel-proof on the package)

- Wild bird seed (With sunflower seeds in it.  We went to a feed store because it was cheaper.)

 - Suet block and a suet cage to put it in (just a few dollars) to attract woodpeckers.


2 comments:

Laura said...

What a precious post! birding is one of my favorite hobbies. The other day, I noticed a new sparrow at my feeder--the white crowned sparrow. Such a beauty. Thank you, Peter.

Christine said...

Thank you for writing to him, Laura. It meant a lot! :)