We are fortunate to have several bird feeders just outside our classroom window, with many visitors throughout the day.  While we mostly see chickadees, we see a wide variety of other birds as well (and an occasional squirrel). To spark interest and help children learn to distinguish between the different species we have been tallying the birds we see.  While our counts are not entirely accurate (multiple children often tally the same birds) this provides an authentic way to practice tallying and counting sets of tallies-not to mention counting sets of moving objects!

On Friday we participated in the state-wide bird count.  The data for this is recorded differently and I carefully monitored it to make sure what we report is accurate.  This information is used to give a broad sense about bird populations around the state.  While it was rather chilly we did see quite a few birds- mostly chickadees, but also titmice, nuthatches, and goldfinches.  Thank you to Patti Haynes, our school's bird expert, for keeping the feeder filled and inviting us to participate in the bird count.