Category: Discovery at Home

Many superheroes are inventors and innovators! They create new technologies and harness the atmosphere, physics, space, and the power of flight to make this world safer! You can be a superhero too by innovating new ways to help our natural world and by helping scientists in your own community!

Supplies:

• Markers/crayons/colored pencils
• Scissors
• Yarn or string
• Glue or tape
• An innovative mind!
• Optional: paper, colored paper, foil, assorted recyclables

Instructions:

1. It’s estimated that nearly 1 billion birds die by flying into windows each year in the U.S. alone! Why? Birds see reflections of the outside world on the glass and think its habitat they can fly into. You can help by indicating that your windows are, well, windows, and not the great outdoors, by creating and hanging up bird deflectors!
2. Start by collecting supplies. Solid color construction paper, foil, colorful ribbons—use your imaginations! Get creative! Cut out shapes, maybe some animals and attach them to yarn or ribbon using glue or tape. Hang these up in your windows!
3. Do you have a different idea for something that could help birds, bugs, or other animals in your backyard? Maybe it’s a feeder, maybe it’s helping them find habitat or creating a more friendly ecosystem in your backyard, maybe you have your own idea! Using materials here or other things around your house (make sure to check with an adult that it’s ok to use!) invent it!
4. . Want to do more? You can become a local superhero by becoming a citizen scientist! Citizen scientists are ordinary people—adults and kids—that help real scientists collect important data! Check out some of these awesome organizations to see how you can be involved! It’s often as simple as keeping track of the birds, bugs, or trees in your own backyard or neighborhood!
   • Nature In The City (Fort Collins)
   • Bird Conservancy of the Rockies
   • Community Collaborative Rain, Hail, & Snow Network
   • SciStarter
   • Citizen Science Projects for All Ages
5. Go learn about some real superheroes that invent, innovate, and study science! Check out our Wonder Women guide, search for famous scientists and inventors online, or visit your local library to find books!
6. What do you care a lot about? Do you have a great idea to make this world better? Protect your native animals? Solve a problem? Try it out! You’re never too young to make a  difference and be a superhero!