To be a good bird-watcher takes patience. Bird-watchers develop keen observational skills. Engage children in bird watching and allow them to stretch their minds in the fresh air. Encourage children to keep a record of the birds you see. Start with a list and add sketches and written descriptions about bird sizes, head and bill shapes and coloring. Consult a field book to identify the birds you do not know. As your child's knowledge grows, consider spending an hour together in what bird-watchers call edges, where forest meets meadow or field meets pond, to study how birds live.