NIMBioS Deputy Director Chris Welsh at a Discover Birds visit to Sevierville Primary second graders in 2013. Photo Credit: discoverbirds.blogspot.com
The popular Discover Birds Activity Book for kids in which NIMBioS contributed some math content has now been translated into Spanish and has even reached Cuban shores.
In the book, Campeones de Aves, “Bird Champions,” is a simple math puzzle where kids solve arithmetic to break a code to learn about the fastest, smallest, largest, and tallest North American birds as well as the migrant with the greatest annual mileage in the world. In Cambiando Poblaciones, “Changing Populations,” children use real bird breeding data to explore how populations of Eastern Bluebird, Northern Bobwhite, and Wild Turkey have changed in Tennessee over time. NIMBioS’ contributions to the book, including answer keys, are available for download in both Spanish and English on our website at https://legacy.nimbios.org/education/discoverbirds
The book was a true NIMBioS team effort. Deputy Director Chris Welsh and Education & Outreach Coordinator Kelly Sturner designed and wrote the activities. Business Manager Toby Koosman helped edit and revise the Spanish language translation for the science-related content throughout the book.
Sponsored by the Tennessee Ornithological Society and written and illustrated by Vickie Henderson, the thirty-six page book, expanded and updated in 2013, includes lively illustrations and focuses on fun facts about birds, from what makes a bird a bird to how ornithologists study bird populations. The book is targeted at the third grade level and is appropriate for first to sixth graders.
The printing of the Spanish translation was made possible through a donation from the tour outfit Naturalist Journeys. Henderson took the Spanish translation of the activity books to share with school children in Cuba earlier this year. The English version of the book was first taken to Cuba in 2014. Naturalist Journeys will be taking the books to other Spanish speaking countries throughout 2017.
The book has been used widely in East Tennessee classrooms through the Discover Birds Program with the Knoxville Chapter of the Tennessee Ornithological Society. A free copy of the book is available for download at the Discover Birds Program web page.