Discovery

I've always heard people talk about how incredible it is to watch children discover their world, and how it almost becomes a renewed first experience, even for the jaded.  These early encounters aren't always pleasant. Eating soap, sticking fingers in random tiny holes, licking dessert counters, squishing worms, sitting in a puddle, pressing the emergency button in an elevator, those are all things that could stand to skip a redo.  But even the messy can be beautiful, and that's often how my mud-soaked, puddle-stained, caterpillar-loving explorers lead me to crisp, new wonder.

 

 

 

Easy Homemade Bird Feeders

We do lots of crafts, but this is possibly the easiest one ever, and it's even more rewarding than a beautiful abstract painting hung on the fridge because the feeders, when placed selectively, can help stop crying, give mamas time to do necessary things alone (sweep the floor, do dishes, fix lunch, go to the bathroom...), provide spontaneous entertainment for all ages, and make the dinner hour a bit more like happy hour and less like a food fight.  We hung our bird feeders all in front of windows, with the majority grouped off the deck out back and visible from the kitchen and family room windows.

What You'll Need:

recycled paper rolls (from toilet paper, paper towels, or wrapping paper)

Peanut Butter

Bird Seed

Wide and deep container (large Tupperware, old dishwasher pack container, big bowl...)

Ribbon or Twine, or sticks, for hanging

Cut the rolls, if you'd like, to desired lengths.  We used a thick wrapping paper roll so it would hold up to rain, and I cut it into varied lengths with a serrated bread knife. Then we colored our rolls for extra fun, but if you have a child who, like my Louie, eats markers, you can certainly skip this part.

Spread each roll with peanut butter- smooth is sooo easy to spread quickly, but I thought the birds would like chunky more than I do, so that's what we used.  If you have little little ones, or over zealous ones, I would suggest prepping the rolls through the peanut buttering stage before you start this craft with them.  Seeding the feeders is really easy, fun, and quick for tiny hands and tiny attention spans.

**a note on birdseed** do little research on which birds you want to see and what seed attracts them. We first used a corn mix, and it did bring cardinals but also threatened to bring sparrows, so we switched to an all thistle seed and had finches, cardinals, blue birds, even blue jays and a woodpecker! 

Dump about 1-2 inches of bird seed into a large container and spoon, roll, press, or toss, birdseed on the peanut buttered paper roll until it is thoroughly covered.  

I like to set the seeded bird feeders on a jelly roll pan and put them in a cool, kid-safe place to dry out for a day. Then we hang them on sticks, slide them on branches, or tie them up with ribbon and wait for the birds to come.

Once all the feeders have been picked dry, we just start all over again. Slather, seed, repeat :)

Bird Cookies

These cookies weren't originally intended to be bird cookies, but I had birds on the mind when I started baking them and thought that it was not only probable that birds would like them, but that the kids would definitely like them if they thought our feathered friends would eat them too.

Seeing how they are made of a whole bunch of wholesome ingredients. I needed a bit of an extra selling point on these. Not that we don't do healthy around here, just that our cookies never have carrots in them-that's muffin or cake territory. "Bird cookies" separated them from "normal cookies," and saved me from the all-searching, quizzical food eye of toddlers.

These cookies make tasty energy bites and great alternatives to pre-packed granola bars, which their texture is more similar to than a traditional ole cookie.

Bird Cookies
recipe adapted slightly from my friend Helen

Ingredients:
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup oats
1/4 cup oat bran
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/3 cup coconut oil
2 tbsp peanut butter
3 tbsp apple sauce
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
3/4 cup shredded carrots
1/4 cup sunflower seeds
1/4 cup chia seeds
1/2 cup raisins

Method:
Mix all ingredients together and roll into small balls.  Chill dough for 30 minutes.  Bake at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for 10 minutes.

That's it! Enjoy!

Feed the Birds

First order of business: explore.  We packed up a bucket of bird seed and went out to see what kinds of birds we could find.  Nana joined us in flinging seed to and fro, calling to birds, and creating a general ruckus that meant we didn't get to see many feathered friends- at least not small ones.  Hawks and other birds of prey were not deterred, to Sawyer's and Lou's delight.

Hey Spring, Let's Talk About You

We've been stretching to discover all the fun things we can find to pepper throughout our week, and one of the best discoveries has been the ring of nature centers in the local park system. I've been amazed at the buildings and exhibits and how interactive and engaging they are, not to mention, they are are all free. Cheers to rural living!

In tandem with pending spring weather and also my decision to homeschool preschool Sawyer this fall, I've been operating under some practice themed learning activities, and these nature centers were our first stop for adventures in birding.  I've been teaching Sawyer (and Lou!) about seasons and the changes that come with each, and since spring time brings the return of lots of animals-birds being the hometown crowd's favorite- we've been doing "research." Also, observing, experimenting, and mostly just lots of playing.

This week I'm going to share/record some of our favorite activities, just in case my brain fails in the future and I need to review my ideas to remember them, and maybe just in case you'd like to try some spring time fun too.