Last week, when Claire had a friend over, we made bird treats: Take old bread, press flat and cut out shape if desired, dip in egg, then roll in bird seed. Place on greased cookie sheet and poke a hole in it for string later. Bake at 25o degrees for 20-30 minutes. When they are cool, tie string or yarn through the hole and hang.
The girls hung them all over the neighborhood. When I took them outside, they were still on the cookie sheet and several of the kids thought they looked really tasty….I knew they ate healthy, but good grief! No one in my family would every confuse birdseed with chocolate chips!
This weekend we are also doing the Great Backyard Bird Count. So far, just a cardinal family and a couple of blue jays. In keeping with Maricar’s post, Claire’s learning new descriptive phrases for squirrels…..
3 Comments
February 18, 2008 at 9:52 pm
Hey! Look at you with Australia and what may be the UK popping up on your map. I’m so jealous.
Sorry you lost your voice though. My gosh! Who could you have talked to that long?!?! I hope you feel better soon.
BTW…mine and Jason’s V-day meal was lunch at a local market in the back next to a shelf of BBQ sauce and candles. (Fairfield Market). Oh, the good ole days! At least Mark realized that finding a sitter and going out would be more work for you.
February 19, 2008 at 9:58 am
Thanks for pointing out the map! Cool! We are such nerds!
And you dont get full credit for the voice….everyone around here is sick with some random upper respiratory thing.
February 22, 2008 at 12:06 am
As I mentioned in my blog, I’ve been reading a book called “Last Child in the Woods.” I just finished reading a chapter that states the following: “Birding has become one of the continent’s fastest growing outdoor pasttimes.” It also offers this excerpt from Mothering magazine, “Don’t rush to the library for a book; let your young scientist learn to see and record information firsthand…Make a list or chart to note down the same observations for each different type of bird. In this way, you child will learn to rely on firsthand observations and knowledge building…Learning about birds might lead your youngster to take an interest in other earth sciences: Why not help your child plant several rows of beans in the garden using different composts and fertilizers, or watch three different types of trees budding? The goal is to encourage your youngster to observe, question and answer.”
Just thought you’d be interested in that since you mentioned the birds.