Birds

Birds are fascinating creatures. They can fly! (Well most of them). And they can do it without the aid of any manufactured apparatus! Big birds, small birds, fat and fluffy birds, birds with big long beaks, and ones with big long legs, the variety is vast and can be a bit of a challenge to get to know. But one of the greatest thing about birds is that each one has his / her own character. They're all individuals and watching a bunch of them for half an hour on your bird table in the back garden will confirm that and endear them to you. The cocky cock Robin, the gentle Collared Doves, the cheeky Sparrow and the gangster-like Magpie will fill your imagination and encourage you not only to find out more about them but also to imagine what they're saying, doing, thinking when they're not at your table. And do you know what? Storytellers have been doing it for years. The personification of Birds and Animals have been the stuff of legends, folklore, stories, poems and rhymes since time began. In this programme we explore just one such story and with a little licence, and help from the children, make a whole new one of our own.

The Bird programme aims to:
> Encourage children and young people to recognise the character of birds.
> To learn to identify a variety of species and explore, with the use of a murder mystery story, threats to them and ways to support them.

It sets out to:
> Aid participants to understand that there are a variety of species of birds.
> Aid participants to identify and classify birds.
> Help them understand biodiversity and the place birds hold in Woodland lifecycles.
> Have fun with a variety of field craft disciplines (creeping and stalking, observation, identification and classification, measuring and recording.)

The programme includes:
> Tutor input
> Reflection time
> Games and fun activities
> Multi-media presentations
> Woodland exploration
> Worksheets and booklets
> Arts and Crafts

Supported by the RSPB.

Written by Alyn Jones (Alliance Youth Works) and Carla Armstrong