Bring Birdwatching Indoors with Printable Resources

Spring is right around the corner. What better time to think about including nature study in a classroom science curriculum, or as an after school enrichment activity! If you are a homeschooler or nature lover already involved in citizen science projects or field observation of birds, you may find these educational resources handy for bringing theory and practice together. If you are new to birding, check out the resources at the bottom of the page for more help.

Parts of a Bird Flashcards

These are Montessori style cards for younger children. They are highly visual, and teach parts such as head, tail, wing, feet, eye, nostril, etc. Each part has three cards: the first shows the bird with the specific part highlighted in red and the name of the part written below; the second card has just the highlighted image; the third card is just the written name of the bird's body part. Cards can be used in a number of ways, including matching games with student self-check. They teach reading and writing, as well as the basic vocabulary required to speak about birds at this level.

Complete Set of Bird Notebooking Pages

This bundle of notebooking pages includes: All About Birds - Basic Bird Study; Birds of the World Notebooking Pages; Nature Study - Birds of North America; Tropical Birds Notebooking Pages. Buying all the sets together allows the parent or educator to save money, or purchase just the sets that you need.

Topics covered in the basic bird study are useful regardless of where you live, or what kind of birds you are studying. They include: parts of a bird, bird sing, nests and other homes, flight and migration. The world birds set features 30 species found around the world, selected from the Usborne Book of Knowledge ; the North American birds set covers 97 species, and is an excellent supplement for homeschoolers or youth groups using The Burgess Bird Book for Children; the tropical birds set includes 43 species that make warmer climates their homes.

North American and tropical bird sets offer templates in both primary and basic lines, complete with colouring pages and range maps. Students have lots of room to include their own details about each bird species. The world set has a lot of the same templates, as well as a bird facts page that offers more structure for the student who may need help deciding what kind of information is worth noting about each bird. It might be a good place to start for those new to nature study, and students who like to fill in worksheets.

Nature Study of North American Birds

This is a set of notebooking pages for 52 of the most common north American bird species. Notebooking pages for each bird include black and white images (birds, range maps) for students to colour. There is space for interesting facts, habitat, appearance, scientific name, and other details the student may want to record. Basic and primary line options are available, so students can use the templates regardless of penmanship abilities. Extras such as a bird anatomy diagram, beak type chart, and blank templates are also included in the 377 page set.

Birdwatching in Montreal:

If you are looking for places to observe birds in the Montreal area, consult the Sparroworks web site for maps and links. The Botanical Garden also has a birdwatching information page