Jump Into A Book

Olivia's Birds: Saving the Gulf

“ I am willing to help, and I want to make a

difference for those birds. I want to be their voice.”

Olivia Bouler

 

These are the words of 11 year old Olivia Bouler. This is an incredible book about one eleven- year- old girl who is making a difference. 

Olivia’s Birds: Saving the Gulf

By Olivia Bouler

Ages 9-12

Audubon Publishing

32 pages

ISBN 978-1-4027-8665-5

Written in her own words and illustrated with her own palette of colors, Olivia has written a book about what she loves most, .....birds. A wonderful and informative field guide featuring 50 beautifully hand-drawn birds. This picture/book, field guide is different from anything you've ever read. It's a celebration of her brave efforts to save those birds horribly affected by the 2010 Gulf oil spill.

(author provided photo)

Though Olivia lives on Long Island with her parents and brother Jackson, she spends most summers of her life down on the gulf with her cousins and grandparents. When she saw the devastation of the oil spill, she "just sat down and sobbed", and then she picked herself up and knew she could make a difference.

She ran right upstairs and wrote a letter to the Audubon Society. She told them that she was willing to help and wanted to make a difference for those birds. Audubon said,"They'd be happy to accept her help."  Olivia was happy that she had taken that very first step in helping the birds of the Gulf Coast.

So how does one 11 year old girl single handedly raise 200,000 dollars to save an entire region?

She organized a fundraiser called "Save The Gulf". For her fundraiser, Olivia created and donated 500 original watercolor illustrations, many of which are showcased in her book, Olivia's Birds: Saving the Gulf. Knowing that her passion is a love of birds and that she drew them often, she decided that for each person who would give a donation to her fund, she would in return paint them a bird. To date she has made over 500 paintings of 120 different birds. To help her get the word out, AOL distributed her paintings all over the web and all over the world. 

"My whole life has been connected to nature, and this is the only Earth we've got. We can't move to another planet, so we have to try to fix Earth. We only have one chance to do it."

Olivia is also aware that just one person can't change the current state of our planet. One person can make a difference but it takes many of us to make a permanent change. 

Somethings We Can Do:

Here are a few things Olivia asks us to do:

• Build a bird feeder.
• Put out unprocessed birdseed or sunflower seeds in your yard to feed the birds.
• Set- up a recycling group in your school or house.
• Cut down on paper consumption.
• Recycle EVERY DAY.
• Compost egg shells, banana peels, orange peels, and other food garbage. It will tu rn into dirt that you can use to plant trees.

Make sure that  you're always telling your family and friends what you're doing to save the planet and encourage them to do the same. Everyone's efforts are important. 

How are you inspired to safe the planet? What things are you doing to make the world a better place?

Here are some links to some important earth protection organizations:

• National Aududon Society 
• National Wildlife Federation
• The Nature Conservancy
• Sierra Club
• Olivia's Paintings

Olivia's Facebook Fan Page.

Olivia on Twitter

 In her own words:

Sista April or Last day of April

So here we are the last day of April. In Swedish it is known as Valborg or Sista April. Large bonfires are lit and everyone sings songs of spring. Before this festive occasion,however, is the sighting of the first spring flowers. For those of us who live in the Northern Hemisphere that is March or April. They are known as Blue Anemone. The book Linnea's Almanac came to mind. Do you remember her from Monet's garden. Here she has a nature activity for every month of the year. We consult her often and really enjoy ourselves. Linnea's Almanc is written by Lena Andersson and Christina Björk

                     

             

             

What could be better after a long, cold and dark winter here in the north, than the first days of spring? When you can be outside without winter clothing and you won't freeze. When you feel the warmness of the sun and you even may need sunglasses. You walk around, take deep breaths and smell a new scent, the smell of spring. Butterflies are waking up and flying all around in the bushes that are just starting to get their new leaves.

       

Best of all is the Blåsippa (Anemone Hepatica). They are so beautiful and they often grow in big groups and color the green grass blue.

      

All Swedish children know the song about Blåsippan and it is sung at day nurseries and schools all over Sweden.  They will sing the song to celebrate the arrival of spring. 

 

Blåsippor

Blue Anemone

Children's Song

(Swedish)

Blåsippan ute i backarna står,
niger och säger att "nu är det vår".
Barnen de plockar små sipporna glatt,
rusar sen hem under rop och skratt.

"Mor, nu är våren kommen, mor!
Nu får vi gå utan strumpor och skor!
Blåsippan ute i backarna stå,
har varken skor eller strumpor på!

Mor i stugan hon säger så:
"Blåsippor aldrig snuva få.
Än få ni gå med strumpor och skor,
än är det vinter kvar", säger mor.

 

 

Children's Song

(English)

The blue anemone blooms now,
Curtsies and says "spring is here".
Children merrily pick the flowers,
And rush home, laughing.

"Mom! Spring has come now, mom!
Now we can go without socks and shoes!
The blue anemone outside
Wears neither sock nor shoe!

Mother, in the house, says:
"Blue anemones never catch cold.
You must still wear socks and shoes!
It's still winter", says mother.