How to Help With the Great Backyard Bird Count

Are you looking to do something free, fun, educational and nature-related this weekend? Well, you're in luck!

The Great Backyard Bird Count got underway Friday and continues through Monday. It's a wonderful excuse to get outside with your kids and a simple way to help scientists around the world.

All you need to do is count birds for at least 15 minutes from one spot anytime through Monday. You can count just one day or multiple days. There are materials at the official site that provide clear directions and some info especially aimed at kids. There's also a regional bird list that will help you prepare for the types of feathered friends you might spot.

When you're finished, you submit your results online before the March 5 deadline. You can even download a cute certificate to give to your children, recognizing their work helping with the count.

The Great Backyard Bird Count is now in its 15th year, and is led by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and National Audubon Society. Organizers stress that beginning bird watchers are welcome. Scientists use the counts to provide a picture of winter birds.

"Make sure the birds from your community are well represented in the count. It doesn't matter whether you report the five species coming to your backyard feeder or the 75 species you see during a day's outing to a wildlife refuge," the website says.

But if your family feels like it needs some expert help, members  of the Kane County Audubon will be on hand at Hickory Knolls Discovery Center on Sunday afternoon from noon to 4 p.m. to help you learn to identify winter birds. 

Editor's Note: Thanks to my friend Maegen Blue at Sounds Fun Mom for alerting me to this event. If you know any young families in the greater Seattle area, please make sure they know about Sounds Fun Mom, a wonderful resource in the South Sound.

Where to Sled, Skate, Snow Shoe, Ski and Snow Tube!

This post first ran in December 2010. Got more suggestions to add? Please put them in the comments section!

It’s time to brush up on your snowman-building skills, pull the sled out of the attic and lace up the ice skates.

Two daughters of a Go West reader enjoy snowshoeing at Morton Arboretum. Love those smiles!Since I didn’t grow up around here, I decided to turn to Go West readers for some suggestions on great places to go sledding and ice skating.

SLEDDING HILLS:

Several readers mentioned Harris Hill, in the Harris Forest Preserve in Yorkville on Route 71. Christina Messersmith says “it’s just plain huge!” and Debbie Koutny notes “It even has stairs!”

Amanda Abel is a fan of “Windmill Hill” in Geneva, located in the Fabyan Forest Preserve at the corner of Route 31 and Fabyan Road. She notes that it features a wide open hill with few trees, although her son “still manages to aim for them!” Plus, you get an honest-to-goodness windmill thrown in to make it as picturesque a setting as you could ask for.

In St. Charles, the park district says sledding is encouraged at Langum Park, facing Route 25, and at Timber Trails Park on North 19^th Street. Call 630-513-4320 for daily recorded updates; sometimes the hills are closed due to icy conditions.

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Creating Fun Times During The Dark Dreary Winter Months

Winter officially begins in just over a week. But the sun is already setting shortly after 4 p.m. For those of us who work outside the house, it feels like we leave home when it’s dark and come home when it’s dark. Can you imagine how the little ones must be feeling? The gloomy days seem to get most of us down and the energy levels sure feel really low. How do you keep little hands and minds busy and active when you are cooped up inside?

A late fall picnic in Chicago. Photo by Memorable Jaunts.Well, here is a list of activities you can do inside as well as outside that can keep the energy high and sanity levels in check for both kids and adults alike.

* Bring the outdoors inside: There seem to be no dirth of dry twigs and branches around the yard. Go on a scavenger hunt with the kids and gather some twigs and small branches to bring back inside. Take an old blanket or a sheet and pretend to build a fire with the dry branches. Make it complete with roasted marshmallows and campfire songs for a fun evening. If you have space, put up a small tent in the living room and let the kids sleep in it for a complete outdoor experience.

* Research: If your kids are old enough to play on the computer, take a poll on a country, food item, animal or bird that they have never heard of or seen before and get them to do a mini-project on it. Kids love getting to use the computer like adults do and at the end of this activity, they have learnt something completely new and different. Keep it short to five to seven facts about the topic – don’t make it feel like school!

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A Go West Mom You Should Know: Shannon Sue Guernsey

Our latest "Go West Mom You Should Know" is Shannon Sue Guernsey, a writer and the founder and president of Planet Fassa, a cool new online resource that rewards children for offline play. She lives in Naperville with her husband Lee Coulter, who is the CEO of Ascension Health Shared Services as well as the co-founder and CEO of Planet Fassa.

Shannon Guernsey with her stepchildren and husband Lee Coulter. Photo provided. Guernsey, 34, is actually the first "Go West Stepmom You Should Know." Using her nicknames for them, her stepkids are MB (aka Miss-Behavin), age 14 but "going on 22"; Chameleon ("all shades of pink"), age 12; and the 8-year-old Lil Dude.

Guernsey and Lee Coulter dated for a long time before she met his children. "However, no matter how long the prep is, I don’t think you can ever fully know what to expect from the big introduction, or how it is going to completely change your life," she says. "I’ll never forget the day (she met the children). I can honestly say it was the last day my needs came first, or that I cared if they did."

Guernsey just published her first book, entitled "Where on Earth Am I? Fassa's 52 Weeks of Fun." You'll find it under her pen name: S. Moo (stemming from Guernsey being a breed of cattle; She definitely has a playful sense of humor!)

In today's Q&A, Guernsey will discuss Planet Fassa. Next Thursday, she'll talk about the challenges and rewards of becoming a stepmother.

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Indoor Play: Hickory Knolls Discovery Center in St. Charles

Are you ready for the gray, chilly days that lay ahead? We’ll try to help you through them with our Indoor Play Guide. Here’s a new addition to the list; it just opened last spring, and it's free!

The wigwam and canoe at the Hickory Knolls Discovery Center. Photo by Tara Burghart.Name: Hickory Knolls Discovery Center, a 10,500-square-foot building on the west side of St. Charles designed to showcase the natural treasures in the Fox Valley.

Location: 3795 Campton Hills Road in St. Charles in James O. Breen Community Park, the same park that is home to Otter Cove Aquatic Park. The easiest entrance to Hickory Knolls is on the south side of Campton Hills Road, just west of Peck Road. The center’s phone number is 630-513-4399.

Hours: Closed on Mondays and Tuesdays. Open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays. Open 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Thursdays. Open noon to 4 p.m. on Sundays.

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