The Our Birds are Your Birds, Too Project is a collaboration between Colombian and American teachers, students, and schools in which science projects become the basis for cultural sharing. The birding project transcends the science classroom, as it provides opportunities for writing, drawing, and, for Colombian children, an opportunity to practice English.
Nury Penagos teaches elementary students at the Eduardo Umana Mendoza mega school in Usme, Bogota. She is the prime mover for our chapter’s “Our Birds Are Your Birds Too” program (aka “Un Pajarito Me Conto”), and came to Florida in October 2018 funded by a Partners Travel Grant to extend the program by meeting with teachers in Volusia and Miami-Dade county. She had the opportunity to study Florida birds with expert birder, Sam Van Leer of the Urban Paradise guild at the Arch Creek East (ACE) in Volusia County, including native plant species and addressing climate change initiatives.
She met with Alex Levine and other staff discussing their focus of teacher/student involvement programs at the Miami Fairchild Gardens. She, also, connected with their teacher contact, Kiki Mutis (originally from Bogota) during an observation field exercise and birding workshop. Other activities included touring the Tropical Audubon Society facility (Miami) and the Marine Discovery Center (New Smyrna Beach.) Nury made presentations at various schools including Pine Ridge High School (Deltona), Rock Church Academy (Port Orange); Starke Elementary (DeLand), and Holly Hill School (Holly Hill.) She met with Aiyanna Maciel of the Stetson Partners Campus and the other Mentored Field Experience students.
For more information on the Our Birds project, contact Florida Partners. Also see Nuri Penagos website, A Little Bird Told Me.
A video from Nuri Penagos about the first connection with Environment for the Americas, showing the work her students prepared for an exchange with a school in Oregon. And here is a post from Environment for the Americas about the student project exchange.
In April 2013 Nuri Penagos made a presentation to the birds´ TEAM: students and teachers of Blue Lake Elementary School, talking about our FAVORITE birds we have had so close to our houses and classrooms.
Eduardo Umaña students talked in English about their favorite birds in the school. They showed their favorite pictures, their favorite places in the school and its beautiful sceneries, some bird´s sounds, their special comments to our friends that belong to fourth and fifth grade, as we are.A kid says: “We are so happy doing these activities with our teachers that allow us to continue learning and knowing new things about our birds and your favorite birds…” Thanks.During Gina Pezzano’s recent visit to Florida, we were able
to visit Blue Lake Elementary and hear about how the Our Birds Are Your Birds, Too project is coming along. Gina answered questions about Colombia and the kids showed us how they are using gardens and classroom activities to learn how our two continents are connected by the birds that migrate each year between Colombia and Florida.
August 9, 2013: John Schoch, FPOA President, meets with Nury Penagos and her students at Colegio Eduardo Umaña Mendoza in Bogota, Colombia. Students are showcasing their work on the birding project, “A Little Bird Told Me.”
