Watching our feathered friends eat from a homemade bird feeder has always filled my little budding birdwatchers with pride and fascination. Probably the best of all, is that these feeders are super easy to make with your kids or grandkids or whatever children are hanging around your house over the coming spring and summer months.
Toast Feeder. Make some toast and spread it with some nut butter. Peanut is great, but if food allergies are an issue, sun butter, made from sunflower seeds, is also a good choice. Cut the toast into a fun shape with a large cookie cutter, and then poke a hole in the top with a wooden skewer or a straw. Have the child press the buttered side of the toast into a plate full of bird seeds. Thread a ribbon through the hole, knot the ends and hang. This feeder should last for at least a week or until the next rain.
Pine Cones. Smear nut butter onto a pinecone with a stiff paintbrush until it’s well coated. Have the child put the cone into a large zip lock bag full of seeds, close securely (this can be a real mess if the bag isn’t closed tightly!) and shake the cone in the bag until it is thoroughly covered with seeds. Tie a piece of string or ribbon around the end of the pinecone, knot the ends and hang.
Cone-servationist. Have the child nibble a small hole in the end of a pointy ice cream cone or poke a hole into the flat part of a flat bottomed cone. Spread nut butter on the cone and roll it in birdseed, thickly coating it. Thread the ends of a ribbon into the hole, tie a knot too big to slip out of the hole and hang it up.
It won’t take long to cultivate the gardening bug in your kids with this project developed by Hans Leo of Massachusetts. His inspiration comes from the Canadian Indians would create temporary lodges out of live saplings by tying the upper branches together to form a roof.
Here are the instructions for planting and growing a sunflower hideaway of your own, including ways to keep the kids interested in the project.
In the spring, like right now, stake out a six foot square area where the sunflowers can be planted. Using a fork or rototiller, if you have one, loosen and turn a path about a foot wide along the perimeter of the square. Leave a few feet unturned on the north side for an entry way. Sunflowers need a fair amount of nutrients, so mixing in compost or aged manure into the turned soil is vital.
In late May or early June, plant your sunflowers. Hans recommends the Mammoth Gray Stripe, which has a stout stem, very large flower heads and can grow up to twelve feet tall. You can start your seeds in peat pots, thus getting the kids involved in the planting and sprouting process. Plus, you can plant the seedlings, pot and all. Plant 2 seeds in 24 pots and set them in a sunny, but sheltered, location. Keep the soil moist, but not soaking. Once your seedlings are four or five inches tall, snip back the smaller one. Plant the seedlings in their pots about a foot apart and water them well. You can also direct-sow your seeds, two to a hole, about a foot apart. When your seedlings are four to eight inches tall, snip off the weaker of the two.
As they grow, water and weed as needed. Spread mulch around them to conserve water. Give them a good watering once a week unless it gets really hot. Spraying the leaves weekly with liquid kelp will produce vibrant growth.
When your sunflowers are around 4 feet tall, you can add petunias or marigolds or whatever annuals you like to add some color to the house.
By the time your sunflowers are 6 feet or so tall, it’s time to start making your roof. Gently tie some baling twine around a flower on one side of the house about a foot below the flower head. You may need a stepladder for this. Slowly pull the plant toward the flower opposite of it and loop the free end of the twine around it. Bring the flower heads together and secure the twine. Don’t tie them too tightly or you could uproot your sunflowers. Pair up the flowers until your roof is done. You may have to adjust the twines over the next few weeks as the plants continue to grow.
As the sunflowers grow, periodically weed and rake the floor of the house to keep it clear. Kids like quick results, so include fast growing plants. Nasturtiums are also a good choice as are marigolds. Radishes of several varieties (Easter egg radishes, with their multiple colors, are a huge hit around here) and short or round carrots are a nice addition to the spaces between the flowers. Think short and round so you’re not compromising the roof system of the sunflowers when you pull up the veggies.
Encourage the children in your life to help with the planting, weeding and picking, but don’t let these activities stretch beyond their attention span. Make gardening fun but not a chore. Then it will be something that they look forward to each spring and summer.
Toast Feeder. Make some toast and spread it with some nut butter. Peanut is great, but if food allergies are an issue, sun butter, made from sunflower seeds, is also a good choice. Cut the toast into a fun shape with a large cookie cutter, and then poke a hole in the top with a wooden skewer or a straw. Have the child press the buttered side of the toast into a plate full of bird seeds. Thread a ribbon through the hole, knot the ends and hang. This feeder should last for at least a week or until the next rain.
Pine Cones. Smear nut butter onto a pinecone with a stiff paintbrush until it’s well coated. Have the child put the cone into a large zip lock bag full of seeds, close securely (this can be a real mess if the bag isn’t closed tightly!) and shake the cone in the bag until it is thoroughly covered with seeds. Tie a piece of string or ribbon around the end of the pinecone, knot the ends and hang.
Cone-servationist. Have the child nibble a small hole in the end of a pointy ice cream cone or poke a hole into the flat part of a flat bottomed cone. Spread nut butter on the cone and roll it in birdseed, thickly coating it. Thread the ends of a ribbon into the hole, tie a knot too big to slip out of the hole and hang it up.
It won’t take long to cultivate the gardening bug in your kids with this project developed by Hans Leo of Massachusetts. His inspiration comes from the Canadian Indians would create temporary lodges out of live saplings by tying the upper branches together to form a roof.
Here are the instructions for planting and growing a sunflower hideaway of your own, including ways to keep the kids interested in the project.
In the spring, like right now, stake out a six foot square area where the sunflowers can be planted. Using a fork or rototiller, if you have one, loosen and turn a path about a foot wide along the perimeter of the square. Leave a few feet unturned on the north side for an entry way. Sunflowers need a fair amount of nutrients, so mixing in compost or aged manure into the turned soil is vital.
In late May or early June, plant your sunflowers. Hans recommends the Mammoth Gray Stripe, which has a stout stem, very large flower heads and can grow up to twelve feet tall. You can start your seeds in peat pots, thus getting the kids involved in the planting and sprouting process. Plus, you can plant the seedlings, pot and all. Plant 2 seeds in 24 pots and set them in a sunny, but sheltered, location. Keep the soil moist, but not soaking. Once your seedlings are four or five inches tall, snip back the smaller one. Plant the seedlings in their pots about a foot apart and water them well. You can also direct-sow your seeds, two to a hole, about a foot apart. When your seedlings are four to eight inches tall, snip off the weaker of the two.
As they grow, water and weed as needed. Spread mulch around them to conserve water. Give them a good watering once a week unless it gets really hot. Spraying the leaves weekly with liquid kelp will produce vibrant growth.
When your sunflowers are around 4 feet tall, you can add petunias or marigolds or whatever annuals you like to add some color to the house.
By the time your sunflowers are 6 feet or so tall, it’s time to start making your roof. Gently tie some baling twine around a flower on one side of the house about a foot below the flower head. You may need a stepladder for this. Slowly pull the plant toward the flower opposite of it and loop the free end of the twine around it. Bring the flower heads together and secure the twine. Don’t tie them too tightly or you could uproot your sunflowers. Pair up the flowers until your roof is done. You may have to adjust the twines over the next few weeks as the plants continue to grow.
As the sunflowers grow, periodically weed and rake the floor of the house to keep it clear. Kids like quick results, so include fast growing plants. Nasturtiums are also a good choice as are marigolds. Radishes of several varieties (Easter egg radishes, with their multiple colors, are a huge hit around here) and short or round carrots are a nice addition to the spaces between the flowers. Think short and round so you’re not compromising the roof system of the sunflowers when you pull up the veggies.
Encourage the children in your life to help with the planting, weeding and picking, but don’t let these activities stretch beyond their attention span. Make gardening fun but not a chore. Then it will be something that they look forward to each spring and summer.
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