Backyard Bird Feeding Leader Encourages Children to Connect with Nature

Wild Birds Unlimited
Published: July 16th, 2013

Wild Birds Unlimited Offers Suggestions for Outdoor Activities

July 16, 2013 // Franchising.com // Carmel, Ind. – Today’s youth spend less time outdoors than any previous generation, depriving themselves of the emotional and physical bond with the natural world. Rather than “going green,” children are “going screen,” spending an average of 44 hours per week interacting with electronic media. Wild Birds Unlimited, the largest franchise system of backyard bird feeding and nature specialty stores, is committed to reversing this trend by educating parents on ways they can connect their children with nature.

“We are dedicated to reconnecting children with nature as part of our mission to bring people and nature together,” said John Schaust, Chief Naturalist at Wild Birds Unlimited. “Teaching children about nature helps them develop an appreciation and respect for the environment. It inspires them to develop a strong relationship with nature that they wouldn’t experience if they were indoors all of the time.”

Wild Birds Unlimited encourages parents to spend time with their children away from the television, computer and video games by taking them outside and introducing them to the natural world. Children are naturally curious and love to explore and learn about the great outdoors. Parents will be amazed at the fun and adventure children can experience in their own backyard, at their local park or on a summer camping trip.

Wild Birds Unlimited offers families the following activities to help connect their children with nature this summer:

• Put up a hummingbird feeder - Hummingbirds are one of the easiest birds to attract. By hanging a hummingbird feeder, you and your child can witness their aerial acrobatics. Hummingbirds can fly up, down, forward, backwards, sideways and hover in midair. You can make your own nectar at home. Use a four-part water to one-part plain table sugar solution to fill the feeder. Having your child make the nectar and being responsible for filling the feeder can create a sense of achievement. You can visit the WBU blog, http://blog.wbu.com/2013/05/30/essential-tips-for-hummingbird-feeders/ for more tips on hummingbird feeders.
• Create a Nature Bracelet – Using a wide roll of masking tape, make a loose fitting bracelet around your child’s wrist with the sticky side on the outside. Take a nature hike around your neighborhood and encourage the children to find flowers, leaves or other natural items to attach to the bracelet, which will create fond memories of the child’s natural environment.
• Take a ‘Flash Light Hike’ – Take a nature walk at dusk or after dark with a flashlight, placing the back end of the flashlight on your chin or nose and slowly shining it around the ground, bushes and trees. Some insects’, animals’ and birds’ eyes are reflective and you can find them in the dark by their eyes’ reflection shining back at you.
• Bird Scavenger Hunt: Pretend to be a bird detective and go on a bird scavenger hunt. While on your scavenger hunt, have your children look for birds in different locations and describe what they are doing. You can discover places that a bird might live (holes in trees, an old nest in a bush, holes in cactus and mud nests under bridges), seek out evidence of birds having been somewhere (look for egg shells, a fallen feather, look for tracks in the sand or mud), and search out foods a bird might eat (bugs, insects and fruit). You can visit the Cornell Lab of Ornithology Web site, http://www.allaboutbirds.org, to help identify birds that you come across.
• Play a Game with the Colors of Nature - Stop by your local home improvement or hardware store and select a few paint sample cards. On your next hike, share the cards with your child and encourage them to find the colors on the card in the natural world.

For more exciting ways to reconnect your children with nature visit, http://www.wbu.com/pathwaysforkids/activities.html.

About Wild Birds Unlimited

Wild Birds Unlimited is the original and largest franchise system of backyard bird feeding and nature specialty stores with more than 275 locations throughout the United States and Canada. Wild Birds Unlimited specializes in bringing people and nature together with bird feeding and nature products, expert advice and educational events. Visit our Web site and shop online at www.wbu.com. To learn how you can open your own Wild Birds Unlimited, visit www.wbufranchise.com.

SOURCE: Wild Birds Unlimited

Media Contact:

Lauren Barbian
Fishman PR & Marketing
(847) 945-1300 x270
lbarbian@fishmanpr.com