Spread Those Wings

I've blogged before about BirdSleuth, which the Cornell Lab of Ornithology uses to provide teachers with curriculum for citizen science projects.

The program is continuing to expand. As this story describes, a classroom of students from Oregon and a classroom of students from Florida used BirdSleuth to conduct a peer-reviewed bird-watching project. Such collaborations are beginning to rise up across the country, and the goal is now to facilitate similar interactions on an international level.

Considering bird migrations don't pay much attention to state or international boundaries, this is a great way to track birds throughout their range and get children around the world engaged in science. It's also cool because the birds are helping bring people together.

If you are a teacher, this is an exciting time to consider getting involved with BirdSleuth.

Teaching Sleuths

For teachers interested in citizen science curriculum, the Cornell Lab of Ornithology has a program called BirdSleuth. It is linked to the lab's Citizen Science projects, and currently, it offers curriculum for grades 1-10 (something for older students is being tested now).

This looks like a great way to combine learning and an experience of nature. Follow the link above for more information. Below, you can watch the lab's promotional video about children learning bird-watching skills and becoming citizen scientists.