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Bridging the Gap

Writer's picture: Ldelights012Ldelights012

Technology has been a part of every role in my life; a Sales Executive, Mother, and Bluebird Entrepreneur.

Role 1: In the early to mid 90s I worked for Advanced Micro Devices and often did business with IBM. These companies gave me insight into the cutting edge technology emerging during that time ~ the internet ~. I was given an assignment to write an article describing the newest trend “@Home”. This is a concept I didn’t quite understand. Having access to a computer and the internet in your own home seemed very far fetched. Computers could take up a whole room! After talking to the brains behind @Home (the IT guys), I started to understand just how instrumental and life changing @Home and the “.com” era was starting to be.

Role 2: When a website called “Webkinz” emerged in 2007, my daughter was hooked. Seeing her feed her virtual pets rather than her two real life dogs brought me back to my confusion in the beginning of the “.com” era. Never had I thought it even possible to connect to the internet at home (I can still hear the piercing screams of dial up internet trying to connect), but now I’m seeing that virtual realities are over taking actual reality. This was the initial spark to create The Bluebird Restoration Project (now evolved into Bluebird Experience). I saw there was a gap between technology and nature. Creating a project that includes children, nature, and technology (using Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s NestWatch App/Website) was an effort to bridge that gap.


Role 3: Bluebird Experience has been affiliated with Cornell Lab of Ornithology for 13 years now. We have helped many schools, golf courses, businesses, and people of all ages reconnect to the nature around them. Now in 2020, we are in a global pandemic that has pushed even the greatest nature lovers inside. The time indoors has ironically allowed me to learn about a term never heard of at the beginning of my technology career; Children’s Nature Deficit Disorder. After reading Eliza Erskine’s article "Nature Deficit Disorder" is Real and the Pandemic has Proven It, I went back to the Bluebird Basics - brainstorming creative and easy ways to bridge the gap between nature and technology.

Finding ways to engage kids during social distancing and school closures can be challenging. We’re here to help! These hands-on activities are designed to explore nature and science with a combination of indoor and outdoor activities that will ease cabin fever. Whether you’re a teacher who needs to share easy-to-implement content with your students, or you’re a parent striving to best engage and educate your child at home, we think you’ll find these materials relevant and fun!

  • NestWatch: Installing a bluebird nest box in your own yard is a great way to engage children with nature. Creating a profile on Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s NestWatch and tracking your data, will bring technology and nature full circle.

  • K-12 Education; Activities and Curriculum: Browse the many activities and lessons Cornell Lab of Ornithology has to offer!

  • eBird: Learn about the birds outside your window or seen on your daily walk. eBird can help you discover new birds, track the ones you’ve seen while contributing to science and conservation!

  • Check out more actives from Cornell Lab of Ornithology (specifically for nature deprived kids!) at Science & Nature Activities for Cooped Up Kids

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