The function of an ID poster is based on the size. A poster has a large format, and can be used for education, as well as wall art. A field guide, however, is about accessibility and portability when out in the field bird-watching. There one has quick access to a pocketbook.
I created my own Backyard Birds poster and used mine as a example of what an ID poster can look like.
The children were each given 4 postcards of Sibley's Backyard Birds postcards. We used pencil to draw the bird, and wrote the name of the bird underneath. Children could choose between the male and female bird - whichever they wanted to draw. Some children preferred to keep their poster in pencil, only, which is great. The young artist's preference is always favored. I even have a very imaginative student, who chose to make their Bald Eagle into a vampire eagle. Pretty cool.
We outlined the final pencil sketches with sharpie, and then finished with colored pencil. We were going to use watercolors, initially, but the children preferred colored pencil. The idea is that the kids will put the poster on their wall, and look outside more often :)
