It's for the Birds!
A new homebased educational research program was launched at Purdue University in January 1997 - "It's for the Birds!"
The study evaluates the benefits of wildbird feeding as an educational activity for families with elementary school age children 711 years of age, that currently do not feed wild birds. Participating families will receive a wild bird feeder, wild bird seed and an educational packet of materials, including books, poster, cards and suggested activities. The program evaluation will assess children's ideas about birds, nature, and ecology before and after the 10 week program. Families will keep all materials after the program is completed.
Gail Melson, Professor in the Department of Child Development & Family Studies, and Alan Beck, Professor of Animal Ecology and Director of the Center for the HumanAnimal Bond, will spearhead the project. Graduate school interview teams, headed by Patricia DaCosta, will visit all families and conduct interviews of children and parents. Families will also be contacted by phone weekly for information and help.
The study is funded by the Kaytee Avian Foundation, Chilton, Wisconsin.
Bird sites on the Internet:
HABRI Central is an online platform for open research and collaboration into the relationships between humans and animals, specifically companion animals. HABRI Central uses a combination of library resources to facilitate the discovery, access, production, and preservation of human-animal interaction research.
HABRI Central is the result of a joint effort between Purdue University's College of Veterinary Medicine and Purdue University Libraries.
