With A Science Investigator's Kit for Homeschoolers, learning science content is an ongoing process brought to you by the birds in your backyard! We invite your kids to:

• Explore habitat, diversity and the scientific process through seven hands-on, inquiry-based science lessons. 
• Observe feeder birds for two consecutive days for each 2-week count period, and submit their data through the Project FeederWatch citizen-science program. Kids love the fact that the data they collect is used by scientists to help understand and conserve birds! 
• Get curious and ask and investigate their own biology questions, with the help of FREE online instructional materials (five more lessons!)  They are then invited to submit their work to BirdSleuth for possible publication!

There are seven lessons included in the SIK curriculum.

Each lesson takes about two hours to complete, and every one includes extension ideas for kids who want to go further in science, math, geography, language arts, and other subjects.

1. Explore Bird Feeding: Learn about birds and their feeding preferences and the types of feeders and seeds that can be provided for birds.
2. Attracting Birds: Design and create a feeder, and based on its characteristics, predict the birds that might visit it.
3. What do Birds Need to Survive?: Discover the four habitat features that birds need, and map and evaluate your site to determine if it provides good habitat.
4. Learn your Birds!:  Discover the features that all birds have in common, then learn how to tell birds apart using a poster, a slide show created for you, your own field guide-- all included in your Kit. 
5. Become a FeederWatcher:  Now, you are ready to become a citizen scientist and send your data to the Cornell Lab!  Continue your counts throughout the winter and uncover your own patterns while we use your data to learn about birds in your area!
6. Birds in the Food Web:  Explore the importance of birds, concentrating on the significance of birds in the web of life.
7. Investigating your Study Site: Become a real sleuth, and conduct a scientific investigation of your own.  Send us your findings and you might become a published scientist!  (Free online materials will help guide student studies!)

Your Curriculum Kit Includes:

The Science Investigator's Kit for Homeschoolers includes 7 lesson plans, a copy of the 26-page student journal, and resource guidebook.  Supplementing these lessons is a CD-ROM, books (Backyard Birds field guide and Bird Log journal), and a feeder bird poster. 

Importantly, the kit also includes membership in Project FeederWatch (PFW) and the PFW research kit, which comes with materials such as a handbook, posters, informational handouts, dataforms, and other materials. This will allow your family to participate in the Project FeederWatch citizen science project all season long!

The kit price is different based on whether you are a US or Canadian participant because all Canadians join Bird Studies Canada (more benefits, higher cost) in order to particpate in PFW.  However, regardless of which country you live in, if you already have a current PFW membership and research kit (inlcuding your membership number for this season), we will discount your kit accordingly and not send you another PFW kit. Choose the kit that fits:

• Kit for United States participants, includes PFW participation...$79.95
• Kit for Canadian participants, includes PFW participation in Canda, and required Bird Studies Canada membership...$99.95
• Kit for people who have already become PFW members (this kit does NOT inlclude the PFW research kit and membership; it is ONLY for people who have a current season PFW membership number)...$65.95
• Have more than one child or family participating, and want to provide each with their own journals?  Order addtional "extra child sets" which include an extra copy of the Bird Log book, and 26-page BirdSleuth journal...$14.95

Order today and get started soon!