With the opening of the “Kids4Kids” exhibition on 19 June 2026 in Wilhelmshaven, an unusual science communication project was presented. Under the leadership of Prof. Dr. Miriam Liedvogel from the Institute of Avian Research “Vogelwarte Helgoland” (IfV), students and researchers worked together to develop new ways of conveying knowledge about bird migration in an understandable and collaborative way.
The pilot project “Kids4Kids Bird Migration” was created in cooperation between the Institute of Avian Research and Neues Gymnasium Wilhelmshaven and was funded by the Lower Saxony Ministry of Science and Culture. The aim was not only to address children as a target group, but to actively involve them in the communication process. The children developed their own questions, conducted interviews with researchers, and created the content themselves.
The heart of the project is two formats: a podcast and a mobile exhibition on bird migration. The podcast now comprises 35 episodes in which children, together with scientists, discuss questions about migratory birds, their orientation, migration routes, and their protection. The episodes are freely accessible via various podcast platforms.
Content from the podcast is also integrated into a mobile exhibition with five modules on bird migration, which forms the centerpiece of the project. The exhibition presents current research findings in an accessible form and invites participation – in addition to text, audio content, and interactive elements, it also includes a virtual reality game in which children step into the perspective of a migratory bird themselves and must navigate using the sun, stars, and magnetic compass. Following its successful premiere in Wilhelmshaven, it can now be borrowed by schools, educational institutions, and other interested parties.
At the opening, numerous guests paid tribute to the commitment of those involved. On behalf of the German Ornithological Society, President Dr. Dorit Visbeck-Liebers delivered a greeting. She emphasized that the project makes children ambassadors of science and serves as an exemplary model of how ornithological research can be communicated in an understandable, creative, and collaborative way in dialogue between science and society.
Further information
Project management:
Prof. Dr. Miriam Liedvogel, Dr. Sabrina Satzinger and Dr. Wiebke Endres
Funding:
Lower Saxony Ministry of Science and Culture
Dr. Dorit Visbeck-Liebers
President of the German Ornithological Society
Impressions from the kids4kids exhibition in Wilhelmshaven. Top left image: Dr. Dorit Visbeck-Liebers (President of the German Ornithological Society). Top right image: Left: Prof. Dr. Miriam Liedvogel (Director of the Institute of Avian Research, Wilhelmshaven). Right: Dr. Sabrina Satzinger (Institute of Avian Research, Wilhelmshaven) at the kids4kids exhibition