Bird by Bird
Bird by Bird is a unique, K-12 science education program that uses bird watching and bird feeding to connect youth with nature and to instill a healthy respect for our natural resources. Participating schools are provided with all the materials needed to set up a bird watching station for students, including bird feeders and bird seed, binoculars, and a collection of bird guides. Students become citizen scientists as they collect data on the birds they see at the feeders, then submit these data to a national database used by researchers to study bird populations across North America. Your students can help scientists in their efforts to conserve bird populations. Bird by Bird was created through a collaborative relationship between Wild Birds Unlimited of Boise, the Idaho Fish and Game Department, the BLM and the US Fish and Wildlife Service and is now being piloted in Pennsylvania.
Classroom Lessons and Activities
- Bird Beak Bites for grades K–3 (PDF)
- Bird Digestive System Activity for grades 3–6 (PDF)
- Bird Feeder Bingo for grades K–6 (PDF)
- Let’s Wing It! and Let’s Wing It! Teacher’s Guide (PDFs)
- Backyard Wildlife Nature Journal for grades K–6 (PDF)
- What Makes a Bird a Bird? (one-page PDF)
- Wings Over Water by the Discovery Place Education Studio; Next Generation Science Standard-aligned lessons for grades K–8.
Additional Resources
- Pennsylvania Educators interested in participating can learn more in this
document for prospective educators.
- The Cornell Lab of Ornithology is a treasure trove of resources!
- Project FeederWatch – Learn more about birds, from bird feeding to identification. Find tools for using FeederWatch in an educational setting or read feature articles about feeder birds.
- Project FeederWatch Mini Classroom Guide and PFW Tally Sheet for grades K-12 (PDF): Six activities from The Cornell Lab of Ornithology
- Feathered Friends – Ten hands-on activities correlated to Next Generation Science Standards at the elementary level.
- K-12 Materials and Professional Development for Educators
- Webinars – Earn continuing education units! Free webinars open to all educators. These fun and interactive webinars provide background content, highlight new and relevant educational resources, and allow discussion for successful implementation of such information and activities.
- All About Birds – Cornell’s online guide to birds and birdwatching
- eBird Explorers – A complete, hands-on, standards-aligned curriculum suite with modules for grades K-2, 3-5, 6-8 and 9-12.
- Together for Birds by the Sustainable Forestry Initiative and Project Learning Tree; for grades K–2 (PDF): activities and lessons to support Science, English Language Arts, Math, Physical Education, and Visual Arts.
- Bird By Bird Idaho’s Facebook page has tons of good ideas for how teachers can work bird stuff into their classrooms.
Our vision is to connect Pennsylvania residents to their state’s wildlife from anywhere. To achieve this, the Pennsylvania Game Commission’s award-winning Wildlife on WiFi program provides innovative online learning opportunities, virtual lessons and educational resources about wildlife and its conservation.
