Welcome to Ping and Echo, a daily newsletter that links to one amazing podcast episode that is guaranteed to be a great listen for kids and their families. Each newsletter includes links to articles, videos and activities related to the podcast so you can turn every episode into an adventure.
Today’s podcast episode is from Outside/In, a podcast from New Hampshire Public Radio that explores the intersection of humans and the natural world. This episode is a wonderfully approachable take on birding, with an emphasis on how kids and families can start birding in their own backyards, whether they are in a house in the country or an apartment in the city. The podcast shares a bunch of great facts about birds and features a wonderful mix of experts talking about their favorite birds and bird sounds. The activities below will get you and your family out birding before you know it.
Podcast: Outside/In
Episode: How To Be A Backyard Birber (“birb” is internet speak for a cute bird… see this guide from Audubon)
Length: 23 minutes
🧐 You Should Know
I’ll always give you a heads up if there is anything in the podcast that might surprise or worry kids. Nothing to worry about here.
💡 Try This
After you listen to the episode you can get our birding with the links and activities below:
Check out the Cornell Ornithology Lab’s citizen science programs here
Build your own cardboard tube binoculars - Instructables
Try these 7 crafts to get kids into birding: from easy to expert - BirdLife
🔎 Explore More
Read up on birds and birding with these links:
Read Dr. Drew Lanham’s 9 Rules for the Black Birdwatcher (See also this short video version too)
Interactive map of bird migration - National Geographic
Easy Ways to Get Kids Birding - Audubon Society
The name Ping and Echo comes from sonar technology which relies on sending out “pings” and receiving back “echos” to discover the world around you. You can send us pictures of the art and activities created by your kids. Email them to pingandecho@gmail.com and we’ll post all your echos on our Instagram and our Twitter page.
Thanks for lending us your ears and your inbox.
Toby, Ruby, and Josh