Backyard Birdlady Loves Back to School Time!

It’s Back to School Time and We’re Super Excited!

Back to school time can be an exciting time for many children. Seeing old friends, getting back into a routine, new clothes and new school supplies make for a great back to school experience. Sadly, this isn’t the case for all children. Knowing that they will be starting the new school year with the same old clothes and a raggedy backpack from last year and little or no school supplies can make back to school a very unpleasant experience for many children.

Boys backpack with school supplies and snack donated to North Tonawanda Intermediate School. (Photo- Backyard Birdlady / Karen Hance)

For whatever reason, and there are many different reasons, some families just can’t afford to buy new things for their children. We all know the sayings about not needing nice things to fit in, but let’s face it, in a child’s world, it’s all about fitting in. I don’t believe children need the most expensive brand names to compete with their friends, however, at the same time they don’t want to feel left out either. As parents, we do our best to provide for our children and make sure they have some of what they want but mostly what they truly need. This isn’t the case for all parents. It’s not because they don’t want to, but they just can’t provide due to a variety of reasons. Sickness, single parents, lack of good employment, many children and more are just some of the reasons children go without. While we try to raise our children to not be materialistic, getting them off to the start of a good school year sometimes requires new school supplies and a new backpack. I think if a child feels good about going back to school they are more likely to put forth the effort and succeed.

Boys backpack with school supplies and snack donated to Spruce Elementary School in North Tonawanda. (Photo- Backyard Birdlady / Karen Hance)

That’s why Backyard Birdlady Loves Back to School Time! This year we have purchased 4 new backpacks and filled them with new school supplies and healthy snacks for four needy children. We have donated them to two of the local elementary schools in NorthTonawanda, hoping to bring smiles and good vibes to some deserving children. Two backpacks were donated to Spruce Elementary for a boy and girl Kindergartener and two backpacks were donated to the new North Tonawanda Intermediate school for a boy and girl. The staff at the schools were really excited when we dropped them off and said they would make sure to get them to deserving children. They also stated that there was a real need for these and more.

Girls backpack with school supplies and snack donated to Spruce Elementary in North Tonawanda. (Photo- Backyard Birdlady / Karen Hance)

Girls backpack with school supplies and snack donated to North Tonawanda Intermediate School. (Photo- Backyard Birdlady / Karen Hance)

We would like to welcome all the children and teachers back to school and wish you a very happy start to the new year. So many things are possible if you work hard and believe in yourself. Never give up and keep moving forward.

Books are also such an important part of a child’s life and we have plans to start a book drive for young children as well. There are so many children who do not have access to new books or even the library. I loved reading to my son when he was little- we read over 500 books in his kindergarten year alone. He has since always loved reading. Please read to your children often and help them develop a love of reading.

We will have more birding stories coming soon and please remember to keep those feeders filled. Happy Birding ~ Karen