Category:
- Mental Wellness 🧠
- Spiritual Wellness 🙏
Age Groups
- Grade 4-6
- Grade 7-9
Introduction
Birdwatching is an activity that can help build attention skills while also practicing mindfulness and coping strategies.
Objective
Connect to the land and deepen your understanding of how animals live in groups.
Materials
- Optional: sketchbook and pencil
Steps
- Go outside for a walk.
- When you are ready, stop for a moment. Use your senses to notice what is around you – the sights, the smells, the sounds.
- Gather information from nature. Observe all that you can. Is there wind? Is it cold or warm? Is it sunny or overcast? Are there clouds? Who or what is sharing your space?
- Continue to walk and find a place to sit. Focus on your environment and who is there with you. What wildlife shares your space?
- Listen and look for birds.
- Is it a single bird or a group of birds?
- What do you notice about the birds and their behaviours?
- Sit quietly for several minutes. Observe the birds closely to learn all that you can about them.
- If you brought your sketchbook, you might want to capture the scene.
Reflection
- Do you agree with the idea expressed in the picture quote? Why or Why not?
- What does colour do for the bird(s) you observed?
- What behaviour did you observe most in the birds you observed?
Extension
- Research the bird(s) you observed to find out more about what they use for survival skills. Explore topics like “habitat and migration”.
- Create a poem: If I were a bird, I’d___________________
- Watch this video Wisdom of Geese.
- Paint a water colour of the birds you observed.