Birdwatching is a fun, inexpensive outdoor activity to do with your kids. Not to mention it's perfect for this time of year. Whether you spend a little time each day observing birds; or you make a full day trip out of it, it's something every member of the family can enjoy. We like to photograph the birds, then use the photos and whatbird to help us identify them.

Here are a few things we've learned along the way:

• If you install a bird feeder, give the birds about a week to find it. (we picked up an inexpensive one with a huge bag of birdseed at Target…all for under twenty bucks).
• Toddlers tend to scare away the birds. They get so excited and chase after them shrieking, "BIRD!" or at least this is true in my case. And when the bird gets scared and flies away, the older sibling gets annoyed.
• Take plenty of snacks (this will help the aforementioned bird-scaring problem by providing a distraction to the younger one). Plus, who doesn't like snacks? 
• Take an extra camera, if you have one. My six-year-old wanted ultimate control, which resulted in a lot of blurry photos of leaves and dirt. 

This is one of those activities that you can tailor to fit your family's interest level and attention span. And you may just learn something along the way! I created a little field journal to help you keep track of your findings. Download it for free here.

Helpful hint: I printed off pages 3-4 front and back, so it would open up like a book, and all the information on one bird would be in the same place: 

If you have any questions or want to read more about our birdwatching adventures, pop on over to my blog. Happy Birdwatching!

 

Post by Christina Williams : justcallmechris.blogspot.com