The Guild for Exceptional Children

The Guild for Exceptional Children planned a series of activities, funded in part by a Celebrate Urban Birds mini-grant, that involved learning about the role of birds in our environment through art, listening (bird calls and songs), and planting seeds to grow plants favored by various bird species in Brooklyn, NY.

Participants, who were from both the Guild for Exceptional Children adult program for those living with developmental disabilities and children from Public School 102 who are visually impaired, had a wonderful time planting sunflower seeds and a mix of seeds of flowers preferred by many birds in the neighborhood. They also reviewed birdsongs and went outdoors to identify the calls of birds such as Northern Cardinals, Rock Pigeons and Mockingbirds. In addition, they learned about bird feeders, concluding in a debate with some participants favoring bird feeders only in winter and others favoring bird feeders year round at the garden.

“Using tree sprouts from our old Crabapple tree as a frame the participants also created feathery-fun birds. The girls modeled the feather boas before wrapping them on the stick fames,” said Shelly Wine, Greenhouse Program Coordinator.

Later, a collage of photos of the activities was made, and some of the participants wrote letters and short poems, too. They all were inspired and had a great experience to remember!