Pinterest Project: Birdseed Wreath

I've been a little bird-obsessed lately. I love watching the birds come to the feeders, especially in the morning while I have breakfast. V & I both like pointing out the different birds.
Recently I went to a bird banding event at the Burroughs Audubon Nature Center & Bird Sanctuary. It was pretty informative, and a lot of fun. After catching & banding the birds, they let the guests help let the birds go! Here I am holding a Dark-Eye Junco moments before releasing him. He was so soft!

(photo courtesy of http://www.flickr.com/photos/aerokc/ )

My friend also got this amazing shot of the bird-banding expert being bitten by a male cardinal, who was ready to be released.

(photo courtesy of http://www.flickr.com/photos/aerokc/ )

After the fun at the Burroughs Center, plus the Great Backyard Bird Count, I wanted to attract more birds to the yard. I have one seed feeder, a thistle feeder and one suet feeder, but that doesn't seem like enough (for me). I saw this very cute birdseed wreath on Pinterest, which took me to the blog post at Under the Table Dreaming.
I was antsy to get started, and didn't have the time to run to the thrift store to try to find a suitable mold (since I don't own a jello mold, or a bundt cake pan). Instead, I used a pie tin, and put a ramekin in the center.

 I sprayed the tin/ramekin with non-stick spray, then added the birdseed mix. To make the mix, dissolve 2 packets of Knox unflavored gelatin into 1 cup of water over low heat. Remove from heat and stir in 2 cups of birdseed. Once the seed is completely coated, press into mold.

 Let the birdseed sit in the fridge for at least 2 hours for the gelatin to set. After 2 hours (or more), remove the wreath from the mold. Take a ribbon and tie it in the center for hanging. 

We placed the wreath in the backyard near our other feeders, and it didn't take long for the birds to find it. The downy woodpeckers seemed especially fond of it. Unfortunately, so did the squirrels. It took 4 days for the squirrels to completely destroy the wreath and cart off all the hunks of seed-gelatin. It was still worth it to see the woodpeckers on the wreath in the morning.
This was a super easy project, and could be made into many shapes. I think it works best in the winter/early spring so that the temps aren't warm enough to melt the gelatin.
Happy Birdwatching!

Pinterest Playtime: Curing Cabin Fever

This winter has been a rough one for us. Although we've experienced a milder winter weather-wise, our family has caught every cold that's come our way. We're going a little batty from being closed in together. For my daughter and I, some of our only sanity-savers have been the projects I stumbled upon while meandering through Pinterest.
I got the idea of bathtub water coloring from Thoughts from the Courage Zone, which has some great toddler activity ideas. I put V in the tub with a small cup of water, a paintbrush & watercolors.

This was the first time she had played with watercolors, so it was a lot of fun. After she had colored quite a bit, I added a spray bottle & a squeeze bottle of water so we could watch the colors run. Finally, I got out a "Magic Eraser" and let her help me clean up the mess. She had fun making the colors disappear.
One of our next rainy-day projects was one I found on Toddler Approved! They suggested making a tower out of cut (new) kitchen sponges. I had picked up a package of cheap sponges at the store awhile back as an emergency playtime activity.

It was nice to have an emergency go-to. V had fun stacking the sponges, knocking them over and throwing them on the floor. The best part? It was all quiet!
If all else fails, I pull out the spray bottle (water only) and hand it to V.

She knows that its ok to spray the windows, doors, herself, the dogs, or the plants.  When she sprays the windows, I give her a rag and let her wipe up the water. Its fun to pretend to clean!

One of our recent not-as-sick days, we managed to get outside for awhile. I borrowed this activity from our Parents As Teachers educator. I've seen several blogs that suggest using beans or rice for kids to scoop & pour with. Our PAT educator suggested using birdseed-- if its spilled or gets dirty, we can throw it outside for the birds, without wasting any food! I also like that V gets different textures, shapes & colors with the variations in the birdseed.

This was one of our favorite activities. V quietly played with the seed for at least 15 minutes. When she started getting bored, we took turns spreading the birdseed out in the yard. Then at lunchtime we got to watch the birds eat the seed.
I love to find new activities. What are your favorite blogs?