Environmental education has been shown to improve a wide-range of learning capabilities as well as social, mental and emotional heath in youth, as well as adults.  Increased environmental education leads to a better understanding of the world around us and encourages environmental friendly behaviors that can result in a better environment for us and generations to come.  According to recent studies, in the last 50 years, bird populations have declined by nearly 3 billion birds across North American.  That is about 1 out of every 4 birds. By using environmental education, we can encourage behaviors that improve human well-being as well as wild flora and fauna well-being.

During a time when many environmental programs had to switch from outdoor classrooms to virtual classrooms it is important to create ways to get youth and adults outside in their "natural habitat". Using Google Classroom to cover state standards in schools, we were able to teach environmental concepts important for our youth.  However, even with concepts being learned, part of receiving all the benefits environmental education has to offer, you must also engage in the environment.

The Bird Feeder program was established to allow youth to work with their families to create something that benefits the birds in their own backyard.  Students were required to think about what certain species of birds need and how to engineer their own feeder to help provide some of those needs.  The were only allowed to use items they already had available around their house enforcing a recycle, reuse, reduce concept.  Students were also required to explain in a written portion how they made their feeder, what types of birds they hope to see, and how they came up with the idea. The program targeted third and fourth grade students.  The top three winners won a youth backyard bird guide for bird ID, binoculars to watch the birds at their feeders, and a bird journal to document which birds used their feeder.  The contest was completed about a month after the first virtual field trip was presented.  Overall, eight families participated and will continue to observe nature in their own backyards long-term.

Goals accomplished by the program:

Building relationships with family

Provide a resource for natural fauna in our local area

Long-term appreciation for nature 

Recycle, reuse, reduce concepts

NGSS, CORE, STEAM concepts accepted by the state

Engineering, art/creativity and ecological theories and hypothesis

Environmental science observations

Writing skills

Comments made by parents or students:

"Thank you for a fun project! He really enjoyed making his bird feeder!"

"We had a great time building this!"

"I came up with the idea for my bird feeder by searching for ideas online.  I found a couple different bird feeders I liked and took what I liked form each one and put the ideas together to make a bird feeder."

"I came up with the idea when walking through the backyard looking for sticks when I found an old bird feeder I had made that had flaws in it.  I improved the design by adding perches, rain holes, and using wires instead of string that wears out"

"There are a lot of birds near my house so the bird feeder will provide food for them.  We also have a lot of squrrels so anything the birds drop the squirrels can use for food also, that way no food gets wasted"