Millions of school children living in cities are surrounded by buildings, cars, buses and concrete. These children have almost no interaction with nature or wildlife in their daily lives. As a result, most never develop an appreciation for conservation or protection of the natural environment.

To combat this, Conservation Starters created an educational tool kit designed to inform elementary students in urban Chicago about birds and their relationship with urban ecosystems. The idea was to get them to first understand the wildlife in their own backyard, which might lead to a broader concern for conservation around the planet. With grant funding, we created  educational tool kits, dubbed “Birds-In-A-Box.” The kits contain materials such as books, examples of bird food, and objects that demonstrate the uses of bird beaks. The kits also contain stuffed bird toys that emit songs when pressed (complete with information sheets about each bird) and a binder full of educational material. Finally, there is a packet with student worksheets about birds.

 

The YRE USA team applauds Kent Keller for … his great work connecting elementary students with nature through his innovative bird kits. Kent is a student at St. Ignatius College Prep in Chicago, Illinois…. He has a passion for wildlife conservation and, as the first participant in the new YRE USA program, is leading the charge for a new wave of youth to take on the challenges and rewards of environmental journalism.

- Young Reporters for the Environment

 

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