December 8, 2021

"Like most kids, Henry spent the 2020-2021 school year learning from home...."

"Meanwhile, for more than ten years, we’ve had an 'owl box' in the tree above our driveway.... When our latest nesting pair showed up in late winter, Henry thought it would be a good idea to show the class through a 'broadcast.' So he got dressed up, we set up an iPhone on a tripod in the dining room, and the Weekly Owl Report was born! Sitting still and reading from cue cards was a big deal for Henry because he likes to move around a lot and sometimes has a hard time staying focused...." 


"This first video was just for kicks as a way to show the [5th grade] class what was going on in the owl box. Not only did [the teacher] make The Weekly Owl Report a highlight every Friday, but he also worked it into the weeks' lessons. The class read stories about owls, hosted bird experts, and had discussions about nature. [The school district science coordinator] was flexible and responsive, including The Weekly Owl Report in every [Columbia School District] Science Show. Both focused on promoting backyard ecology observation and getting kids outside. At home, the school encouraged students to get out in their yards and neighborhoods." 

I learned about this from Henry's father and checked to make sure Henry would enjoy a link on the Althouse blog. It's so encouraging to see kids finding ways to study science outdoors and to turn the unfortunate exclusion from the school building into something so positive. I love the way one boy's project energized the rest of the students. Congratulations to Henry!

Watch all of Season 1 here. I'm embedding Episode 3:

21 comments:

wildswan said...

Learned a lot. Thanks, Henry and Co.

Bart Hall said...

Cornell's Department of Ornithology, perhaps the best in the world, has a few fantastic "citizen science" programs. Most suitable for kids >8 yo is Project Feeder Watch for which participants count feeder birds at the same time each [not every] day and submit a weekly report. Cost is $18 per winter, and it's real science because there's no analytical substitute for massive aggregate numbers, which are almost impossible to obtain without citizen participation.

Another Cornell citizen science project, for more-experienced birders, is E-Bird which costs the user nothing, because it is of such incredible scientific value, providing solid data on populations, migrations, nesting, diversity, and so on. Cornell also has a number of excellent online programs for learning bird ID, calls (so you can ID those pesky warblers by ear), life cycles and other good stuff.

I'm fortunate to have three species of owl nesting here on the farm: Great Horned, Barred, and Eastern Screech. The Saw-Whet and Barn owls are periodic winter visitors. All in all it's very "owl-y" around here, and we make very sure to get all five of our kitties inside before dark.

gilbar said...

thanx for posting! It was much more professional looking than i'd thought it'd be!
It's amazing; How little things like a Shirt and Tie, can make Such a Big Difference!
[this message brought to you from The Shirt and Tie Corp of America]

gilbar said...

Seriously, it was good!

rehajm said...

Thanks Bart. In our community the conservancy is flooded with bird research projects. There’s a big bluebird study and counts. Residents participate in counts and we get regular updates on unusual sightings and activity.

The owl in our neighborhood is a bit elusive but at least once a month he sits in the oak outside my bedroom for a 3am hoot fest…

gilbar said...

Henry gets MUCH Better at his anchor job, as the year went on.

Mike (MJB Wolf) said...

Excellent. This is what I expect of my fellow Americans! Thanks for sharing this Althouse.

Tom T. said...

The necktie is indeed a civilized touch. Good for him for looking professional.

michaele said...

As a former 3rd and 4th grade teacher, I truly appreciate what a brilliant and successful collaboration this was for all concerned. I never knew anything about the owl's digestive process. Thank you, Henry and company, for the very interesting report.

Omaha1 said...

As the parent of an adult child with a disability I can see that Henry is struggling with pronunciation but his reading skills are great! He should be very proud of himself and this project. The series is captivating and educational, a delight to watch.

Kevin said...

There’s a time slot open at CNN.

Howard said...

Very professional. I'm happy to see the kid with a speech impediment doing public speaking. That's real guts. Nice to see little sister as the field reporter. Family projects are the best.

Sebastian said...

"the unfortunate exclusion from the school building"

"Unfortunate." That's one way to characterize the most oppressive and inequitable attack on underprivileged young people in recent history.

MadisonMan said...

That is charming. 100% charming. I defy anyone to watch that and not smile.

Critter said...

Worst hit: Marxists/Democrats who were convinced they could crush the human spirit through lockdowns.

Joe Smith said...

Very cute and a nice story.

Meanwhile, hundreds of thousands of other kids are experiencing social withdrawal, anxiety, depression, and worse.

Good for Henry for making lemonade out of lemons, but it's just a tiny point of light in a national tragedy and failure of policy-making...

David53 said...

When I taught 4th grade for a few years in the 90s one of the things the kids liked the best was when we dissected owl pellets and attempted to identify the bones in the pellet. Everyone wanted to find a mouse skull. We also dissected cow eyes, it all was great fun and they learned some things.

Anything that eats squirrels is fine by me and owls look cool to boot.

Great presentation! A+

BUMBLE BEE said...

CNN? Kevin, he need not start at the bottom! Keep crushin it, Henry!!!

BarrySanders20 said...

Well that's it for this week's fun fact!

I'm going to work that line into my work emails.

Narr said...

I knew about owl diet and the pellets, but I did not know anything about the mechanism itself.

Gizzards are cool.

farmgirl said...

I love this and he’s beautiful. Owls are cool, too:0)