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One activity we began with our kids when they were still quite young is birdwatching. In the beginning, we had one book, Birds of North America (link below) and a composition notebook to draw the birds. It is an activity that our boys love and now often do on their own. They pack up some bird books, a composition notebook, a journal with blank pages for sketching and drawing, a bird journal to record what birds they see, birdseeds to put out to attract birds, and a couple of pairs of binoculars. They love going out on our land or in a city park and just sitting and watching birds, identifying the ones they see and reading about that bird's habitat, behaviors, and eating habits.
This is a great family activity that promotes being together doing a quiet, reflective activity that encorages a child's self-control and regulation, while also being engaging to them. You can scale it to work for your child, their developmental level and interests. When my kids were younger, we often took some water colors to "paint" the birds which meant we went out in a nature setting, sat quietly on a quilt and painted for 30 minutes while listening to birds.
Books we have collected over the years that have been educational and insightful:
Burgess Bird Book - a great collection of bird stories for children
Backyard Birdsong - excellent for learning to recognize birds by their songs
Supplies for Drawing and Recording Birds:
*We always provide our kids with quality materials for drawing, painting and journaling. I feel like it does a better job of helping them appreciate creating art because they can tell the difference between low and high quality materials. I highly recommend getting at least a few nice art supplies so that children can enjoy the art-making process. Below are some products we have used and enjoyed.
Birdwatching Journal - we have had a few and this one is our favorite
Composition Notebook - we keep lots of these on hand for various uses
Blank Journal - we like these spiral bound ones for drawing in the wind
Watercolor Wheel Stack - we love being able to split this up between multiple people
Watercolor and Brush Set - this set is great for painting on the go
Watercolor Paper - spiral bound is so much easier for painting in the field
Kids Watercolor Crayons - these are so easy for kids to draw with and then manipulate the colors with a paintbrush
Watercolor Brushes - these refillable brushes are perfect for painting on the go
Paper Towel - for cleaning off the paint brush
Viewing Birds:
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