Connecting children to birds
Based in Jhargram, West Bengal, Shib Shankar Goswami spent two decades teaching in Hazaribag, Jharkhand, where his passion for birding began. He combines photography with storytelling to document local biodiversity for thousands of students. By bridging the gap between young minds and nature, he inspires a new generation of environmental stewards.
ಗೋಷಿಯಾ ತಾಜ್ ರವರು ಬೆಂಗಳೂರಿನ The Fig Tree Learning Centreನಲ್ಲಿ ಶಿಕ್ಷಣತಜ್ಞರಾಗಿ ಕಾರ್ಯನಿರ್ವಹಿಸುತ್ತಿದ್ದು, ಸ್ಥಳೀಯ ಸರ್ಕಾರಿ ಶಾಲೆಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಕನ್ನಡ ಮತ್ತು ಪ್ರಕೃತಿ ಪಾಠಗಳನ್ನು ಬೋಧಿಸುತ್ತಿದ್ದಾರೆ. ಬಾಲ್ಯದಿಂದಲೇ ಅವರು ಮರಗಳೊಂದಿಗೆ ಬೆಳೆಸಿಕೊಂಡ ನಂಟಿನಿಂದ ಸ್ಫೂರ್ತಿ ಪಡೆದು ಪ್ರಾಯೋಗಿಕ ಚಟುವಟಿಕೆಗಳು ಮತ್ತು ಸಂವಾದಾತ್ಮಕ ಆಟಗಳ ಮೂಲಕ ಮಕ್ಕಳಲ್ಲಿ ಕುತೂಹಲ, ಕಾಳಜಿ ಮತ್ತು ಪ್ರಕೃತಿಯ ಬಗ್ಗೆ ಗೌರವವನ್ನು ಬೆಳೆಸುತ್ತಿದ್ದಾರೆ.
Gousia Taj is a Bengaluru-based educator at The Fig Tree Learning Centre who teaches Kannada and nature studies across three local government schools. Inspired by her childhood bond with trees, she uses hands-on observation and interactive games to spark curiosity, kindness, and respect in young learners.
Thanigaivel Annamalai, an environmental researcher with ATREE, aims to bridge the gap between science and people. Through experiential learning, he inspires them to look beyond species identification and discover the beautiful, interconnected stories of nature.
Since 2021, Early Bird’s Young Birders’ Workshop has sparked a passion for nature in over 250 children. This year, the program took flight across India with in-person batches in 4 cities alongside our national online workshop. Discover the inspiring highlights from this year’s batches and learn how to launch your own.
The ‘How to Be a Birding Buddy’ workshops are designed to address the shared challenges every educator faces. Here is a glance at what we discussed during these workshops to help you design your nature engagements!
ಓದುವ ಬೆಳಕು ಆನ್ಲೈನ್ ಕಾರ್ಯಕ್ರಮಗಳು ಮತ್ತು ಪ್ರಕೃತಿ ಆಧಾರಿತ ಚಟುವಟಿಕೆಗಳ ಮೂಲಕ, ಅರ್ಲಿ ಬರ್ಡ್ ಕರ್ನಾಟಕದ ಅರಿವು ಕೇಂದ್ರಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಮಕ್ಕಳನ್ನು ಪಕ್ಷಿಗಳು, ಕೀಟಗಳು, ಸ್ಥಳೀಯ ಜೀವವೈವಿಧ್ಯತೆ ಮತ್ತು ಪ್ರಕೃತಿ ಜರ್ನಲಿಂಗ್ (Nature Journaling) ಗೆ ಪರಿಚಯಿಸುತ್ತಿದೆ. ಈ ಕಲಿಕಾ ಅನುಭವಗಳು ಮಕ್ಕಳಲ್ಲಿ ಕುತೂಹಲ, ಸೂಕ್ಷ್ಮಅವಲೋಕನ ಕೌಶಲ್ಯ ಮತ್ತು ಪ್ರಕೃತಿಯೊಂದಿಗೆ ಆಳವಾದ ಸಂಬಂಧವನ್ನು ಬೆಳೆಸಲು ಸಹಾಯ ಮಾಡುತ್ತಿವೆ.
Through live online sessions and hands-on nature activities, Early Bird has been engaging children across Karnataka’s Arivu Kendras (Gram Panchayat Libraries) in exploring birds, insects, nature journaling, and local biodiversity. These joyful learning experiences are helping nurture curiosity, observation skills, and a deeper connection with the natural world.
Curious about birds from a very young age, Keerthika G is a PhD scholar and a passionate nature educator based in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu. Her aim is to inspire diverse urban communities to observe, love, and protect local biodiversity.
Bhavya Sharma is a postgraduate student from Rajasthan who uses creative “question-first” methods and sensory activities to reconnect urbanites with local biodiversity.