How about creating a Bird Café offering a selection of tasty treats for the birds in our backyard? Each of these bird feeders were quick & easy to make, & have already attracted a variety of birds to our garden.
First on our menu is our 'Dish of the Day' & if your kiddos enjoy play cooking, or mixing food they'll love making this. We used an old bowl, spoon, lard, packet of bird seed, grapes, & sunflower seeds. We added 2 heaped tablespoons of lard to the bowl, & then mixed in the other ingredients... lots of messy fun! If you have any Christmas leftovers just add them to the mix. (Definitely a good idea to have baby wipes handy if you're not near a sink!)
We added a spoon to the bowl which looked quirky but also provided a neat perch for the birds. Our dish of the day was served up on an old table in the corner of the garden ready for our first feathered customer!
Next on the menu was our 'Nutty Roll' made from a tp roll, peanut butter/tahini, bird seed, & a length of string. We threaded the string through the tube to create a hanging loop, & then covered the tp roll in tahini. Ideally peanut butter is the best option, we used tahini as I'd found an old jar of it lurking at the back of our cupboard! The kids then set to work covering the tube, rolling, patting & sprinkling over the seeds.
Once covered we hung it out on a nearby tree for the birds to enjoy!
As a side dish, we offered 'Pinecone Nibbles' which were made with a pinecone! We started by tying a length of string to the cone so we could hang it from a tree. Then the kids had more fun, smearing peanut butter inside & around a pinecone & coating it with bird seed.
We made several of these as they loved coating the pinecones with the paste!
Our last feeder was our 'Bread (with no Butter) Pudding', a neat way to use up any spare dry bread, or unwanted crusts. We cut a selection of shapes using cookie cutters, & added a small hole using a straw. We threaded a length of string through & tied into a loop before taking the treats out to the birds
Our bird cafe was open & ready for visitors!
What a great way to start the new year, caring for the wildlife in our outdoor space, & hopefully attracting a few more birds to our garden.
Happy new year!