birds

Spring Robin Footprint Craft

spring robin craft

 

Have you spotted a robin yet? Word is, if you spot one first it’s good luck! Let’s make some spring robins to remind us what they look like.


Supplies you will need:


•    Construction paper – brown, red, blue, robin egg’s blue, orange beak
•    Nest fabric, scraps of brown paper, hay…
•    Glue, scissors
•    Bead for eye (black) or marker

1.    Trace the child’s foot on the brown paper, this will be the bulk of the robin’s body. Cut out.


2.    Cut a red robin’s belly out to fill in the space from the foot arch and robin’s body.


3.    Cut scraps up to create the nest. And cut robin egg’s blue circles out to used for any surprise.


4.    Start to glue and create!

 

Another super cute idea is to create the whole footprint robin with paint! Use a baby or child's foot for a paint footprint like momstown Newmarket-Aurora did in their Baby Basics program - what a cute spring painting or card to make for someone!

 

spring robin craft

 

spring robin craft

Posted by momstown mama on 04/02/2013 - 17:41
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Earth Day Bird Feeder

earth day bird feeder

 

Backyard birdfeeders made of natural materials was an inspiration to draw more birds to our yard this year. Wanting a quick and easy idea, we decided to go for all natural ingredients.


momstown had heard of many feeders using peanut butter as the base, but with an allergic chold it wasn’t usable for us. Instead we used plain on butter to stick the birdseed to.


•    Pinecone
•    Butter/Margarine (or peanut butter)
•    Birdseed (sold anywhere, Dollar store even)
•    Ribbon or string for hanging


Cut the string to the length needed to hang and tie onto the pinecone. Do this first before spreading butter otherwise it’s almost impossible to do it later.


Spread the butter onto the pinecone very liberally. It needs a good coat and inbetween the pinecone branches, this way it will trap more birdseed. Spreading the butter is great fun for the younger crowd, there’s no real way to do this wrong so let them spread independently!


Sprinkle birdseed on a flat surface, like a pie plate, and roll the buttered pinecone in it until well covered. Make sure the birdseed is well pressed onto the pinecone.


Hang your pinecone birdfeeder in a spot your child thinks will draw lots of birds. Being able to see the feeder from the window will add to the delight, especially from the breakfast table!

 

This bird seed cookie recipe is another fun way to create a a bird feeder too!

Posted by momstown mama on 04/02/2013 - 17:33
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Little Scientist- Making Birdseed Bird Feeder with Kids

momstown Mississauga moms and kids met this month to make Birdseed Cookies at our Little Scientists program.  Little Scientists is a monthly program where we discover science principals and learn about how things work.

 
This month since it is the coldest part of winter we decided to feed our feathered friends and make Birdseed Cookies. We talked about what kinds of birds are around in the  winter in Ontario and our scientists coloured some bird pictures while we were waiting for the moms to melt the ingredients together on the stove.  For other bird crafts, check here.

 
Here's the recipe we used to make the Birdseed Cookies. Be aware of where you hang these cookies as the squirrels love to eat them too!

 

birdseed cookie recipe

 

Ingredients
1/2 cup water
3 tablespoons corn syrup 
1  packet plain gelatin
3/4 cup  flour
4 cups birdseed ( we used a mix based on the types of birds in our Mississauga backyards)

 

Other Things You'll Need
String 
Cookie sheet
Spatula 
Cookie cutters
Waxed paper
Cooling rack
Non-stick cooking spray

 

Spray inside the cookie cutters with non-stick cooking spray and place them on waxed paper on top of a cookie sheet. Set aside.

 

In a large non-stick pan, bring water and corn syrup to a gentle boil. 

 

Remove pan from heat and stir in gelatin to dissolve

 

Put flour into large mixing bowl, stir in hot liquid mixture until this forms a paste. Add hot water bit by bit to thin the mix into a thick batter consistency. 

 

Quickly stir in bird seed and mix well until all the "glue" is evenly distributed among the seeds.

 

While mixture is  warm fill  cookie cutters  with the birdseed, pressing firmly. It is important to press the mixture firmly to create a hard block of seed.

 

I've found the simpler the pattern of the cookie cutter, the easier it is.  We used hearts. 

 

After a minute or two gently shake the cookie cutters to release the shapes, and fill again. Recipe makes 8 - 10 depending on size of cookie cutter. 

 

After a few minutes using a wooden skewer, gently make a hole in the cookie all the way through. 

 

Once dry ( overnight ) cut out large pieces of twine to make hangers for the cookies, then hang them outdoors and watch for birds!

Posted by momstown team on 01/21/2013 - 11:13
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Valentine's heart bird feeder craft

It is a traditional belief or story that on Valentine's Day the birds find their mates. They have to hook up early in the year to make sure the children will be strong before the fall arrives.

What better Valentine gift can we give our bird friends than to give them some extra energy this winter? Make some suet cakes for your birds. You will attract western bluebirds, chickadees, jays, towhees, warblers, woodpeckers and more to your backyard.

Not to mention you are decorating your garden for Valentine's Day!



bird feeder heart

What you need:

  • Suet from your garden nursery or pet store. Make sure it is pure suet.
  • Your favorite birdseeds mix
  • A heart shaped cookie cutter
  • Bowl
  • A big spoon
  • Baking sheet
  • Parchment paper
  • Twine


How to make it:

1. Soften the fat or suet at room temperature. Mix the seed into the suet and spoon in and press the mixture into a heart shape (or any shape you have) cookie cutter. We like to just use our hands.

Note: When half the mixture is pressed in, place a looped string with a toothpick tied to one side into the mixture with the loop hanging out of the top and the toothpick going across (inside the heart) to give it hanging strength.

2. Place in freezer or outside. When the suet molds are cooled, wrap each individually in plastic wrap and store in the freezer until needed.

3. Decorate with extra seeds.

4. Put them in the fridge or freeze the one you don╒t use.

Please note when spring comes around, the suet will melt.

 
Thanks to guest blogger Kari Svenneby, Polar Bear Mom and owner of blog network Activekidsclub.com - which is all about discovering nature with adult and kids through play - lifestyle - cooking - outdoor playgroups - safety reflectors.

Share your Valentine picnic ideas, nature craft ideas and everyday outdoor ideas with us for Activekidsclub Outdoor Valentine link.

Posted by Teacher Mom on 01/31/2012 - 11:08
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Q is for Quack

Quack says the duck!

Q is for quack

Turn a Q into a quacking duck with this fun and simple craft from momstown!

 

Q is for quack

What you need:

  • Feathers (we used real Canada geese feathers but craft feathers work too)
  • Scissors
  • Glue
  • Construction paper
  • Marker

 

Q is for quack

 

First, draw an O on your construction paper.

 

Q is for quack

Then add the feathers on with glue - they form the 'tail' of the Q and the tail of the duck! Cut out a yellow triangle for the duck's beak and complete your quack-quack!

It's fun to turn the alphabet into activities for kids! momstown has lots more - try out:

T for Tiger stripes - patterning practice!

H is for Happy - lots of gluing and colour work too!

R is for Road - becomes an imaginative play activity!

Posted by Teacher Mom on 06/27/2011 - 13:54
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F is for Feathery Friends!

Spring brings the birds - and momstown has created lots of 'pretend' ones with kids at home!

 

feather bird craft

 

What you need:

  • Construction paper
  • Scissors
  • Pipe cleaners
  • Glue
  • Googly eyes
  • Feathers
  • Pom poms

 

Cut out a bird shape from the construction paper, then glue on googly eyes, feathers, pom poms, whatever your 'bird' would like to look like! Use pipe cleaners for legs.

 

feathers sensory kids

 

Feathers provide a great sensory experience for younger ones. You can buy them at craft or dollar stores fairly inexpensively. Take a small tub and fill it with feathers for your child to touch and feel. You can also talk about the different colours and look at all the parts of a feather.

 

F is for feather

 

Here's another use for feathers - make an "F is for Feather" craft and use feathers to fill in the letter. You can do both upper case and lower case. Thanks to When You Never Expect Two for the photo!

 

Posted by Teacher Mom on 04/18/2011 - 18:52
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