Anmore Elementary School

… has gone to the Birds!

A Wildlife Education and Conservation Project.

In the Spring of 2008 Anmore Elementary Students in grades 3 to 5 formed a Young Naturalists Club.

The goal was to learn about nature.

One of the projects focused on birds and ever since then Anmore Elementary has really “Gone to the Birds!”

Anmore Elementary Young Naturalists

(March 2008)

Young Naturalists Club activitiesStudy and observe.

Naturalist, Ruth Foster, brought dead birds for us to identify.

Research and birdhouse building.

Challenge students each researched a different local bird and then painted their research onto a bird house.

The best way to get to know nature is by studying it in your own schoolyard.

A bird feeder was installed by parents at the school and students in Grade 1 through 5 have been bird watching at recess and lunch time.

Bird identification cards are given to anyone bird watching and sightings are recorded on our bird count chart in the school library.

Some kids even started bringing their own binoculars!

Birds in our schoolyard…The birds we saw using the bird feeder were:

- chickadees (black capped and chestnut backed)- dark-eyed junko- red-winged black bird- and varied thrush.

Other birds we saw(not at the bird feeder) were crows and eagles!

Birds in our classroom…

Grades 4 & 5 Research

Each student researched a different bird, they coloured their birds and then created silhouettes.

Grade 1 to 5 activities

grade one to five students used smart boards and played computer games to try and identify specific bird sounds as either calls, alarms, or songs.

They helped identify birds they had seen in their own schoolyard.

On Monday February 16, 2009 the school took part in the Great Backyard Bird Count at recess and during class time.

26 students took part in the bird count.

The results were sent to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology to be included in their yearly bird count.

www.birdcount.org web site

Birds in our community…The whole school asked family an friends

to join in on The Great Backyard Bird Count on Feb 13-16.

- We sent notices to the Anmore Times newspaper.

- Our principal sent email reminders to parents.

- one student wrote about our bird project to the Young Naturalist Club and was featured in the February YNC magazine.

- Parents started saying their kids love birds.

Resources and Support…- The Young Naturalists of BC- The Cornell Ornithology Lab Backyard Bird Count.- ThatBird.com- Our teacher sponsor Mrs Lockwood.- Naturalist, Ruth Foster.- Students and parents of Anmore Elementary

School.