Activity Guides for Kids

For years, Bird Alliance member Jackie Blurton has designed activity books on our chapter’s behalf to get kids excited and involved in learning about and loving birds. We’re thrilled to be able to share these works of art and science with you and SW New Mexico youth!

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This activity book is understandable to young children, inexpensive, and ready to print on 8.5’x14” paper. This first booklet was inspired by our gift of “The Audubon Bird House Book” [Barker & Wolfson] to area libraries and by the Gila Native Plant Society’s Silva Creek Botanical Garden in Silver City.

Our second book for kids is about birds. There are many different kinds of birds. To help us identify birds with similar characteristics, they are grouped into families. Here are three families of birds that share characteristics. Knowing these similarities will help you identify the bird.

Birds prefer different plants just like we like different foods. Birds and plants can help each other. Learn about three birds that have beneficial relationships with the plants that provide them with food. The book has four activities about birds and the food they eat.

This booklet will help kids learn more about swallows, common residents in our area in the summer. Find out about their nest-building practices, insect-catching techniques, and how to tell different species of swallows apart.

Other Great Resources for Young Birders

We’re big fans of this page from the National Audubon Society! Here, you’ll find activities from across its national network of environmental educators, plus related DIY activities and content from Audubon’s editors. These activities can be done at home or in a yard or park, sometimes with the help of a computer. The goal isn’t to teach a child how to name and identify bird species, but rather to give them space to explore and feel connected to the natural world. If you’re a parent or caretaker, that means you don’t need to worry about your own knowledge of birds or plants… just be a companion to your child’s curiosity.

The American Museum of Natural History has developed a useful two-page guide for kids on where, when and how to watch birds. The guide also includes information on how to be a respectful birdwatcher.