Kid's asking questions and enjoying Birdwatching (2 Viewers)

[Euan Buchan]

Anyone know or have seen kids asking you why you like birds? This happened to me last year in The Outer Hebrides kids came up to me and say what are you doing? and I told them and they said why? and I just told them till they got on my nerves asnd told them to go and play Today I saw a lil girl on the bus with a Canada Goose toy she said Daddy whats this? he said Canada Goose and she said I love them

 

[very boring banned member]

Today I saw a lil girl on the bus with a Canada Goose toy she said Daddy whats this? he said Canada Goose and she said I love them

As a teacher I once participated a environmental net conference for students. Schoolkids were worried over the melting of glaciers: "what happens to all the cute penguins then?".

 

[Darren Oakley-Martin]

My kid brother, (8) asked me why I watch birds. So I told him I liked them. He said;

'Why?'

so told him that they come in all shapes and colours, and he said;

'Why?'

so I told him that they all have different specialisms, and he said;

'Why?'

so I told him that if all birds looked the same and ate the same things, there wouldn't be enough to go round. And he said;

'Why?'

so I gave him a box of matches and told him to go play on the central reservation.

All true, except the last bit.

 

[SimonC]

Both my kids (7 & 11) are interested in birds to varying degrees.
The youngest, my son, has his own bins (my old ones) and can identify all the commoner species & can even sort out the correct family when he sees a new bird.
The eldest, my daughter, is showing less enthusiasm as she get's older unfortunately, maybe she'll come back to it in about 9 or 10 years, when she becomes human again - after going through the horrible teenager phase - which she seems to be preparing for early!

 

[Stonechat2]

I'm 15 and absoluteley love birds. My parents don't allow me to speak to them about birds at all. They always tells me to shut up, they thinks that birding is for saddos. More fool them. This could explain why not many kids are not interested in birds. If their parents don't support them then i guess many kids just won't stay interested when they get interested.

 

[Darren Oakley-Martin]

I'm 15 and absoluteley love birds. My parents don't allow me to speak to them about birds at all. They always tells me to shut up, they thinks that birding is for saddos. More fool them. This could explain why not many kids are not interested in birds. If their parents don't support them then i guess many kids just won't stay interested when they get interested.

GOOD FOR YOU!

You talk a whole lot more sense than most of the 'adult' members of this site!

Me included!

Well done!

 

[Steve G]

Hi Stonechat,
Don't let it get you down. We Brits have got funny ideas about what is sad & what isn't. Mainlining smack in an alleyway is sad, hurling bricks at opposing football fans is sad, racist jibes at Asylum seekers is sad birding is definitely not. At 15 partial economic independence is just round the corner so keep the faith. Keep impressing on your parents how important birding is to you without "boring" them with detail & they'll probably come round. They need to appreciate the true nature of this most noble of activities o

 

[birdman]

Thanks for starting this thread Euan, it's an important subject for birders.

Stonechat... as has been said already, good for you!!!!

 

[mountain man]

I'm 15 and absoluteley love birds. My parents don't allow me to speak to them about birds at all. They always tells me to shut up, they thinks that birding is for saddos. More fool them. This could explain why not many kids are not interested in birds. If their parents don't support them then i guess many kids just won't stay interested when they get interested.

If ever you fancy going on a twitch, there's always a space in my car!

Plenty of adults used to help me out with lifts to which I'm eternally grateful to them all.

 

[John N]

I am certainly not an expert by any stretch of the imagination and I have been frequently helped in identifying a bird by young people.And I still am.So If in turn I can help anybody ,youngsters or older people, on any of my birding trips I am happy to do so.We all had to start somewhere.

By the way Good for you Stonechat.

 

[Ian Whittle]

My kids get a kick out of going to school and when on field trips, correcting the teacher when she says thats a seagull,
"no miss actually its a common gull" my 7 year old goes onto say before then detailing the varietys of gull. This is fun at first but after a full day of the little one taking over the trip allmost and turning it into a twitchers day out the teacher has now decided to have regular " bird watching " days that I go along to and promote conservation and birdwatching in one leason. This has proved extremeley popular and 19 of her class this year asked for bird spotting books from Santa!
Anyone else encourage kids like this? (it works cos you make it Fun!).
learn them early I say

 

[cuddy]

Hi Stonechat, i work in the constuction industry so you can imagine the flack i used to get, but i always have been open about what i enjoy and pointed out to them just what had they seen in there own area.

They were often very suprised at what is on there own doorstep, and now they tell me about what they have seen, so now thats birds sorted, i have got to see if i can get them interested in butterflies nothing like a challenge.

Cuddy.

 

[KC Foggin]

I never pass up an opportunity to have a kid look through my scope when they come across me and ask what I am doing. Most times we can get some bird sighted in and I love to watch the look on their faces when they see it. I answer as many questions as I am able to and usually I will see one or two of them on the following weekend eager to take another look.


Stonechat - this is for you. :t:

 

[Fuchsia]

Brilliant thread Euan,
Stonechat - Steve and the others said it perfectly.
Cuddy - good luck!!
Keep at it both of you!

My 3 year old has come a long way since everything was a chicken - he can id a few 'usual suspects' and uses the mini bins I got free with the scope. He even comes and tells me about bugs he's found so I can photograph them. I expect it all to fall apart when girls come along but thankfully not for a good few years!

Jen

 

[kryptora]

Last half term at the Lodge at Sandy I was in the hide practising my digiscoping on some Greaterer Spotted Woodpeckers on the feeders when a trio of rather noisy 5 to 7 year olds (sans bins) burst in:-

"What are you doing"

"Taking pictures of birds-want a look"

At that they formed a queue to climb up on a chair and look at the viewer on my canon G5.

I passed a spare pair of bins to them and they were absorbed watching the tits, GSWP, greenfinches and a nuthatch that appeared.

Eventually their mothers arrived to drag them reluctantly off.

The eldest said "I like watching birds but my sister is usually too noisy"

No other comment apart from a remark from them on my digiscoping outfit _ "I bet that cost a lot of money" - "yes it did replied my wife" grimly - kids don't you just love them!

 

[Darren Oakley-Martin]

This is an excellent thread, and one which is causing me to ask a 'bigger' question;

How can we, as birders, engage the next generation of birders? Do bodies, such as the RSPB go into schools and give talks? And what can we all do on a micro-level, individually and through our membership of regional bird clubs?

Personally, I try to encourage youngsters, (and I'm still only 33) whenever possible by acting their age.

It seems to work.

But seriously, anyone got any ideas for initiatives? Get them young and we secure the next generation and with it, a powerful lobby group for the protection and respect of our birds in the future.

 

[kryptora]

This is an excellent thread, and one which is causing me to ask a 'bigger' question;

How can we, as birders, engage the next generation of birders? Do bodies, such as the RSPB go into schools and give talks? And what can we all do on a micro-level, individually and through our membership of regional bird clubs?

Personally, I try to encourage youngsters, (and I'm still only 33) whenever possible by acting their age.

It seems to work.

But seriously, anyone got any ideas for initiatives? Get them young and we secure the next generation and with it, a powerful lobby group for the protection and respect of our birds in the future.

Darren - I think your suggestion of getting local birders, RSPB etc to go into schools is the answer.

The key thing to overcome is that birdwatching is not for "saddos", as Stonechat2 has had to put up with, but actually is fun and a cool thing to be involved with.

If it is promoted that it involves travel, environmental involvement and gives kid's exercise into the bargain then maybe even teacher's will support it.

When my girls (now in their 20's) were young we joined the local Watch group and went on holidays bat detecting, moth trapping and bird watching.

Years later we discovered that they never told their teachers or school mates about these holidays because they would have been singled out as being different.

Even in my wifes place of work when she tells them that we are going on a birdwatching weekend, her colleagues reply can be "Oh you are not a member of the green welly brigade are you!"

Attitudes to birdwatching need to shift across the age spectrum and we need more positive press/PR to communicate that it is a pursuit that transcends age, class and background, not something that is associated with expensive optics and green wellies.

Maybe that is something that the RSPB could do something about - what about an advert in the "Sun"!!!!

 

[Darren Oakley-Martin]

Presumably, and I'm sure the man from the RSPB can answer this, they will visit schools upon request.

I would suggest that as birders, we have a collective responsibility not just to birds, but to engaging future generations of birders. For without the latter, the former will suffer.

I was never one for Sega's and skateboards and the like, but it is very rare that I see a youngster, (teens) out birding these days. They seem to prefer hanging around town centres and amusement arcades. And I am talking generally here of course. When I was younger, (and it wasn't that long ago) this wasn't the case, many of my school friends went out birding.

I'm not old enough to remember everything in sepia tones but this is quite alarming.

If I knew where to start, I'd do something myself. But what?

 

[verdin]

Well, most of my friends in school are to busy with girls and whatnot, while that doesn't interest me. I resort to "hobbies" for my fun. One of those hobbies is birdwatching. I love birds so much, I wish that I could just pick up a House Finch and kiss him on the top of his head. I love learning about their different behaviours and adding new species to my life list. I make recording of the different birds behaviours and I'v recently gotten itno bird photography. Luckily for me, my mother loves birds as well, and enjoys watching them as well. The other kids are pretty rebelious against their parents. By the way, I am 13. Thank you birdies and thank you Bird Forums, because I'm glad I am able to talk to other people about it! -Ken

 

[Darren Oakley-Martin]

Well, most of my friends in school are to busy with girls and whatnot, while that doesn't interest me. I resort to "hobbies" for my fun. One of those hobbies is birdwatching. I love birds so much, I wish that I could just pick up a House Finch and kiss him on the top of his head. I love learning about their different behaviours and adding new species to my life list. I make recording of the different birds behaviours and I'v recently gotten itno bird photography. Luckily for me, my mother loves birds as well, and enjoys watching them as well. The other kids are pretty rebelious against their parents. By the way, I am 13. Thank you birdies and thank you Bird Forums, because I'm glad I am able to talk to other people about it! -Ken

Fantastic Ken! Birds are much more reliable than the unfeathered variety!
Try and get some of your enthusiasm to rub off on your pals! Keep it up!:t: