Birds in My Garden, Birds in My Art! (Part Two)

One of my next endeavors was to design a Courtyard Habitat for my children's elementary school. Several Moms got together one afternoon with a shared idea. That idea was to turn the unused school courtyard into an outdoor classroom, where children could interact with nature. As a landscape designer, I was able to volunteer my design skills and knowledge of nature to help develop a beautiful place for the children and teachers. After creating a master plan, we developed a 5 year plan to convert this unused space into wildlife habitat. Through donations and lots of hard labor our Courtyard Habitat became a reality and has won several awards and grants. It is now a registered Schoolyard Habitat with the National Wildlife Federation http://www.nwf.org/ and a certified Monarch Butterfly WayStation. http://www.monarchwatch.org/

This charming bird house was inspired by a recycling project we did with the children for our Outdoor Art Gallery (part of our habitat). We asked the children to create birdhouses out of recycled materials. It was our first project to utilize the Art Gallery that we created by using log pedestals made from the trees that had been taken down on the school property that spring.

My children decided to use recycled aluminum cans along with other collected items on their bird houses. We had such a good time that I became hooked, and began making them! After their debut at the school's Art Gallery, we brought them home and immediately a Carolina Wren moved in and had a family! I hope to track down some of the pictures I have, and add them to this post!

Has anyone else been involved in creating a habitat at their
school? I'd love to hear from you!