"Tonight I sing to the birds"

”In the Rapid, we take care of the birds!” is a sentence proudly painted in bright colors on the wall of a rural school, La Rápida, in San Antonio del Tequendama, Colombia. The collective Wasi Kindi K’aira (House of the Hummingbird and Frog) collaborated with three rural schools in Colombia – I.E. La Rápida, I.E. Chicaque and I.E. Arracachal – to promote the protection of the environment through the observation of the local birds, the arts, and the actions to improve their habitat. The students of these schools were able to create unforgettable memories with the help of the various activities organized by these three schools in collaboration with the members of Wasi Kindi K’aira. The children were so excited, they created their own songs dedicated to the local birds through the exploration of their surrounding nature, observation of the local birds, and the cultural music of the region.

Multiple students are sitting in a classroom. They are facing the front of the classroom and are focused on their teacher who is holding a drum. The teacher is teaching the students about the drum.

There are multiple students and instructors outside in a green field. They are digging and planting outside of their classroom.

Angie Vanessa Amaya Palma and Hernán Kindi Chasoy Chasoy and members of her collective Wasi Kindi K’aira organized activities to engage the students with the birds and nature surrounding them! These activities centered on strengthening the bond between the students and their environment, helping them understand the importance of protecting nature and its biodiversity.

Students are sitting close together in a classroom. They are holding pamphlets that detail information about birds. Their teacher is holding her pamphlet and using it to teach her students.

The first activity in each school brought the students closer to the world of birds through the exploration of their anatomy and diversity. The students learned about the birds anatomy and how these influence their behavior, diet, and lifestyle. Through games and observations, they had fun while discovering how each bird’s characteristic is adapted to its environment and its way of life in nature.

A boy is proudly holding his drawing to the camera. His drawing has a brown bird surrounded by three trees and an orange bird hatching from its egg.

Two students are proudly holding their drawings to the camera. The girl on the left is holding a drawing of a bird feeding her chicks. The boy on the right is holding his drawing of a bird sitting on top of its eggs.

The second activity was a workshop on the identification of local birds of each school. Students learned about the various species of local birds through creative projects! By using natural materials from their surroundings such as plants and feathers, and observing their environment outside the classroom the students identified the beautiful birds present in their schools and learned about the importance of conserving the natural areas in their community give them their home. This activity allowed the students to witness first-hand the importance of their actions and how they could contribute to the protection of nature and their birds.

The students observed and enjoyed identifying the birds in their natural environment, drawing them and creating creative projects about them. They also created a mural at each school where they expressed their new understanding of the local birds to their communities. They used bright colors and painted marvelous brids to show their appreciation for the nature that surrounds them and the birds it inhabits.

Multiple students are proudly showing an array of colorful paper with feathers and leaves to the camera. The colorful paper holds an image of a bird with the foliage that corresponds to it.

A student is working on a yellow piece of paper with a type of bird taped to it. On his desk are flowers. He is looking at the camera and holding a piece of blue thread.

The students then had the opportunity to apply everything they learned on a field trip the ecological camp La Nueva Rambla. During the field trip, they excitedly applied their new skills and understanding of why it is important to protect the environment to all their activities!

There are students in uniform exploring the nature that surrounds them. A girl is holding a binocular and looking out into the distance. Another student is climbing a tree.

There are four students smiling in uniform, looking around their surroundings. A girl is holding a binocular and looking into the distance. Two boys are laughing and sharing a binocular.

As part of the Wasi Kindi K’aira collective’s educational program, “I Sing to the Birds,” the students brought their musical creativity to life in an enchanting way. They learned to play instruments such as antaras, rattles, bombos, and Amazonian whistles, exploring new sounds and rhythms. With the support of the members of the collective, they composed songs inspired by local birds, merging learning and artistic expression. The songs talk about the details of certain local birds and the importance of conserving and protecting the shared territory. Creative musical activities took time. However, once the students understood the basic musical techniques, they began to create their own songs. A marvel! Students from each school created a unique song. The songs composed by the three different schools were dedicated to a specific species of a local bird and you can watch videos of the students singing and dancing to their songs below.

Song of the Carpenter

Song of the Silver-billed Tanager

Song of the Black Vulture

Un estudiante sostiene un trozo de pasto y acaricia el suelo que lo rodea. Él está plantando la hierba.

The project, led by the collective Wasi Kindi K’aira (Casa del Colibrí y la Rana), not only taught the students of the three schools about the importance of birds and conserving their environment, but it also created lasting memories for them. At the end of the project, fruit and native trees were planted around the schools to improve the local environment for the native birds, and the schools’ communities.

Wasi Kindi K’aira wishes to express their sincerest thanks to Finca Cafetera La Pedregoza for their essential support in making these activities possible. They also thank the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and Marta del Campo for their constant support in carrying out this initiative. Finally, they thank the institutions and rural schools, I.E. La Rápida, I.E. Chicaque and I.E. Arracachal, that gave them the space, time and were willing to have their students and instructors participate, which allowed the realization of this beautiful project, which was a complete success!

Photos Courtesy of the collective Wasi Kindi K’aira

Article Written by Diana Palma-Vazquez