The Discover Birds Activity Book reaches 30,000!

Since its first printing eight years ago, 30,000 Discover Birds Activity books have been distributed to youth around the world!

  

Each book delivered represents inspiration and education provided to the youth of our world who are learning to interact with the environment and appreciate the joy and benefits that come from protecting and engaging with our natural world, especially with birds!  

Credit for this milestone accomplishment goes to Cyndi Routledge, member of the Tennessee Ornithological Society and founder of Southeastern Avian Research.  Cyndi tirelessly promotes this book, ensures the funding for its continuing publication, and distributes the books!  As the book's author and illustrator, I cannot thank Cyndi enough for her efforts.    

Cyndi also coordinates the printing of the books and she reports that an additional 3000 books have been printed in 2020 and are ready for distribution!  Thank you, to Cyndi and Steve Routledge for providing their safe storage!  

The current printing of the Discover Birds Activity Book is made possible though generous matching donations from the Tennessee Ornithological Society (TOS) and the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency.  

TOS member Cyndi Routledge, of Clarksville, coordinates the free distribution of the Discover Birds Activity Books. The only requirement is that the books be used as part of an educational program that includes a bird walk experience introducing children to the birds around them.  Educational programs are also asked to provide a brief description of their activities and photographs that can be shared with others on the Discover Birds Blog.

To make a request for activity books for your classroom or program, contact Cyndi Routledge at routledges@bellsouth.net.

To download and print a copy of the activity book, visit:  The Tennessee Ornithological Society--Educational Resources page.

Discover Birds Activity Book
Discover Birds Activity Book pdf in Spanish
Discover Birds Curriculum Guide
Discover Birds Program
Tennessee Ornithological Society
Tennessee Watchable Wildlife sponsored by the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency

Discover Birds Activity Book in SPANISH!

Inspired by a desire to take activity books to Cuba on a planned visit in 2017 and made possible by a slew of generous volunteers, we now have a Spanish translation of the Discover Birds Activity Book!  

This translation was accomplished by Barbara Routledge of Calera, Oklahoma, a Spanish teacher at Durant Middle School in Durant, Oklahoma.  The translation process took about two months and Barbara expresses gratitude and heartfelt appreciation to students Jhoana Ramirez and Angel Lopez who helped her tremendously.

Jhoana's parents also helped when they got ‘stuck’ translating a phrase or word.  On behalf of Discover Birds and the Tennessee Ornithological Society, we extend a very big thank you to all who helped.  We are indebted to Barbara and her students for their time and perseverance!

The translation was further edited and revised for science-related content by Toby Koosman of the National Institute for Mathematical and Biological Synthesis (NIMBioS) in Knoxville, TN.  A big thanks to Toby for her help also.

As with every new edition of the publication, Mindy Fawver of Knoxville is our go-to person for design, arrangement and print-ready format.  We greatly appreciate her dedication to this project!

A big thank you also to Cyndi Routledge of Clarksville, TN, who recruited Barbara for the translation project and coordinated all aspects of printing and shipping!

The Spanish translation is available as a free pdf on the Tennessee Ornithological Society website. The printing of a limited number of books was funded by Naturalist Journeys in December with the goal of taking these books as gifts on birding and naturalist tours to Cuba and other Spanish speaking countries in 2017.  We thank Naturalist Journeys owner, Peg Abbott, for her interest and enthusiasm and for making our first printing of the Spanish translation possible!

To make a request for printed English activity books for your classroom or program, contact Cyndi Routledge at routledges@bellsouth.net.  To download and print a copy of the English version of the activity book, visit:  The Tennessee Ornithological Society--Educational Resources page.

Discover Birds Activity Book
Discover Birds Curriculum Guide
Discover Birds Program
Tennessee Ornithological Society
Tennessee Watchable Wildlife sponsored by the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency

We've Got Books!

Twelve thousand books!  Thanks to a generous grant awarded to the Discover Birds Program by the Tennessee Crane Fund earlier this year, we have just received delivery of 12,000 Discover Birds Activity Books to be distributed throughout the state of Tennessee.  

The Tennessee Ornithological Society (TOS) will celebrate its 100th anniversary in 2015 and it is our goal to distribute these books to as many Tennessee educational programs as possible in order to promote excitement and learning about birds.  The books are targeted for Tennessee, but we have also enjoyed sharing books with other states and Cuba!  

TOS member Cyndi Routledge, of Clarksville, coordinates the distribution of books. The only requirement is that the books be used as part of an educational program that includes a bird walk experience introducing children to the birds around them.  Educational programs are also asked to provide a brief description of their activities and photographs that can be shared with others on the Discover Birds Blog.

To make a request for activity books for your classroom or program, contact Cyndi Routledge at routledges@bellsouth.net.

To download and print a copy of the activity book, visit:  The Tennessee Ornithological Society--Educational Resources page.

Discover Birds Activity Book
Discover Birds Curriculum Guide
Discover Birds Program
Tennessee Ornithological Society

I. B. Tigrett Middle School Students Discover Birds

Earlier this year, Marsha Parsons, science teacher and Project Learning Tree facilitator, requested 200 Discover Birds Activity Books for sixth grade science students at Tigrett Middle School, in Jackson, TN. This spring, she received those books courtesy of the Tennessee Ornithological Society.

Since receiving the books students in Mrs Parsons, Mr. Shackelford and Mr. Pledger's classes have been going on daily bird walks on the school grounds to study the ecosystem in which the birds in their area live .

Tigrett Middle School is located in an urban area with an open grass yard and bordering trees.  Though it is often hard to identify birds at a distance, noticing the bird's relative size, color, if possible, the way it flies and its general behavior can often help in identifying the bird.

Common birds found in urban areas include:  Mourning Dove, Rock Pigeon (feral pigeon), Northern Mockingbird, European Starling, House Sparrow, Common Crow and American Robin.  Pictures and information about the life and behavior of these birds can be found at Cornell's All About Birds by entering the bird's name in the search space.

While on their bird walks, students study the habitat and have even discovered bird nests. They are using the bird adaptation section of the Discover Birds Activity Book to aid their discussion about the kinds of adaptations birds need for this urban environment.  

A special thank you to Mrs Parsons, Mr Shackelford and Mr. Perkins for sharing their class activities and sending the above images of their students discovering birds!

Links and Resources:

Discover Birds Activity Book
Discover Birds Curriculum Guide
Tennessee Ornithological Society
Tennessee Birds
Tennessee Watchable Wildlife--Birds
Cornell's free beginning birding app--Merlin Bird ID by Cornell Lab of Ornithology
Audubon Mobile Field Guides

Discover Birds and the Tennessee Aquarium

The Discover Birds Activity Book and program are now linked to the Tennessee Aquarium "Just for Kids" page!  You will find "Just for Kids" under the education tab on the Tennessee Aquarium's home page.  On this page you will find many resources to make learning about nature fun for kids.  

The link to the Discover Birds Activity Book takes you to the Tennessee Ornithological Society website where you will find information about the Discover Birds Program and activity book. Information about where to get printed books and a printable pdf are available on this page.

Located on the banks of the Tennessee River in Chattanooga, the Tennessee Aquarium inspires wonder for the natural world and showcases animals in their natural habitat from mountains to the sea. Explore some of the fun resources and activities available on their education page!

Discover Birds Activity Book Now Available Online

The Discover Birds Activity Book is now available as a free download on a new page featured on the Tennessee Ornithological Society’s (TOS) website.  A new "education" link in the sidebar of the home page takes you to the educational resources page that gives information about the Discover Birds Program and makes the entire activity book available to download or print.

With this free online availability, we hope to encourage more children to get out doors and discover birds!

The links provided enable the printing of the entire book or the selection of individual activities and topics in the individual pages section.  The individual page listing provides the opportunity to select the activity that best suits age level and educational needs.

The activity book is also available on the Tennessee 
Watchable Wildlife Website.  Special appreciation goes to Scott Somershoe for giving the book this additional availability.  Additionally, NIMBioS (National Institute for Mathematical and Biological Synthesis) has published two of the book's activities on their website as educational modules.  We thank Kelly Sturner, NIMBioS Education and Outreach Coordinator, and Chris Welsh, NIMBioS Deputy Director, for giving the book this worldwide visibility to science and math communities.

Printed books are available by contacting Cyndi Routledge at routledges@bellsouth.net.

Individuals interested in more information about the Discover Birds Program, arranging school or group visits in your area, or volunteering with the program should contact Billie Cantwell at bfcantwell@gmail.com.

Watch for our Discover Birds article in the upcoming Jan/Feb 2014 issue of the Tennessee Conservationist Magazine.  The article features TOS, the Discover Birds Activity Book and the Discover Birds Program!

Links and Resources:
Tennessee Ornithological Society Educational Resources
NIMBioS Discover Birds Educational Module
Tennessee Watchable Wildlife Educational Tools