World Sparrow Day

It was World Sparrow Day yesterday (March 20). The day is celebrated to raise an awareness about the declining population of the house sparrow. We did our bit by putting up a bird feeder and a bird house for the sparrows. My three-year old was excited seeing the sparrow feeder and waited in the balcony all day for the sparrows to arrive. They haven't discovered the feeder or the house yet.


The next step was to Google sparrows, to learn about them and to understand their behavior. Read somewhere that the house sparrow is not a water bird and bathes itself in dust (didn't know that). It was interesting to find out amazing facts about the tiny little brown birds that chirp on my window in the afternoons. And, now, I can give them the"I know all about you" look.

The three-year old was disappointed at not seeing any sparrows in the balcony. So to cheer her up, I decided to read her some bird stories. We read The Perfect Nest, a funny story about a cat who builds a nest to attract a chicken, and then dreams of making yummy omelets from the eggs that the chicken lays. Things go as per plan and the chicken comes to live in the nest, but later a duck and a goose also arrive. And crazy chaos follows thereafter.

Next we picked up a picture book about birds - About Birds: A Guide for Children. The book has beautiful illustrations and simple text that introduces birds to children. Finally, we wrapped up our day by drawing some bird pictures.

Birds and other creatures always fascinate children. It's wonderful to watch them gape in awe as they realize how different these creatures are from them. 

If you want to introduce your children to the wonderful world or birds and animals, check out some of these interesting titles.

• Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!
• Edward the Emu  
• Owl Babies 
• Take Along Guide Series - Caterpillar, Bugs & Butterflies, Frogs, Toads & Turtles, Snakes, Salamanders & Lizards

Visit  http://www.worldsparrowday.org/index.html to read about World Sparrow Day.