Science in January: The RSPB’s Big Garden Birdwatch

Despite being in the depths of winter, January is still a great time to remind your students of the living things around us. Every year, the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) hosts the Big Garden Birdwatch, an initiative that invites anyone in the UK to spend an hour observing and recording the birds they see, either in their garden or a local park. This year, it’s taking place from the 24th to the 26th of January, and can sign up by heading to the RSPB’s website. 

As a science teacher, this event should definitely be on your radar - you can use it to involve your students in real-world scientific research! To prepare your class for the event - whether that’s spotting the features of birds or recalling their life cycles - you can find all the resources you need on the Developing Experts science platform.  

Here’s why you should participate: 

1. It’ll provide your class with hands-on learning experience. As your pupils will be engaging directly with nature, they’ll gain an appreciation of local biodiversity and the opportunity to observe their surroundings. 
2. The opportunity to learn data analysis skills. Collecting and submitting bird count data provides an excellent opportunity for your pupils to develop their data analysis skills. The RSPB has the results from last year’s birdwatch on their website, so you could show them those numbers to illustrate how their efforts will be used. 
3. It creates an awareness of conservation issues. Through observation and further research, your pupils will become more aware of environmental changes and conservation challenges. For instance, the decline in house sparrow sightings by 60% since the Birdwatch began in 1979 highlights significant ecological shifts.
4. It’s a great accompaniment to theory-based lessons. Are you already teaching living things this term? This is the perfect practical lesson to accompany your teaching. As an activity with an explicit focus and goal, spending a practical science lesson outside is a good way to complement classroom learning.
5. It’s a great way to get out of the classroom. Taking the learning outside and getting hands-on with outdoor learning is a lovely way to inspire young learners and give the knowledge gained in the classroom some practical use.

Participating in the RSPB’s Big Garden Birdwatch offers you and your pupils the opportunity to engage with the natural world - and it only takes an hour. For more information on related science topics, head to www.developingexperts.com - we’ve got all the resources and lessons you’ll need.