Tuesday, January 3, 2012

Pampering the Backyard Animals With Our Discarded Christmas Tree and Homemade Treats

All year long our back yard animals amuse us and make us smile.  Come wintertime, when
we are snuggled all warmly in our homes, these sweet creatures are fighting off old man winter.
To help our little friends, we put out a heated birdbath and make seed ornaments to hang
on our discarded Christmas tree.  You can also string popcorn, cranberries, even raisins.  To make the ornaments, take some stale bread and pop it in the toaster to make it more firm.  Then use your vintage cookie cutters to cut out the shapes.  Spread peanut butter on both sides and press them into a bowl of bird seed. Use a twisty tie or an ornament hook to poke through the bread to attach on the tree.  Also we spread peanut butter on pine cones that have a long twist tie or string attached at the top and roll in the same bowl of bird seed. It is a great project to do with little ones, to help teach them the importance of taking care of wildlife.  Not to mention bringing a adding the joy of nature to their little lives. Great project for a day with grandma!

In the Spring, we are rewarded with the joyful antics of the birds, chipmunks and squirrels and bird houses filled with fledglings who will give us more joy.  And the circle continues..........

When the Christmas Tree has served it's purpose, just clip off the branches and put them in the
yard waste disposal bag or can, or the burn pile depending on where you live.

2 comments:

Unknown said...

Doing this project tomorrow with my boys! Should be fun!

Unknown said...

Photos please! Hope they have fun making them AND watching the birds eat!