Caring for the wild creatures in our own neighborhood is my favorite way to teach my children to respect the environment. The Pony Artist wanted to welcome the Robins. I did a little research, and discovered that birds may appreciate nesting supplies. Here's how she made her own nesting supply station.
If you would like to make a nesting supply station, here's what you need:
Two strips of felt
Thread
Needle scissors
Yarn (Be sure to use cotton, not synthentic, for the safety of the birds.)
First, the Pony Artist chose two strips of felt from our left over stash.
Next, she sewed the ends together. This was the most challenging part.
Now it was time to prepare the actual supplies. She chose some yarn and some string she thought the birds would like and snipped it into pieces.
She put it in the holder, and we tied it to a tree branch.
It was emptied quickly and my husband thought it looked like the birds were trying to take the holder too!
This was a fun project that gave us a great opportunity to discuss the specific needs of the birds living in our neighborhood. Of course, we got some fine motor work in as well. If you have some extra felt and yarn on hand, why not welcome the birds by providing some nice soft lining for their nests?
Several bloggers have been working on using up our craft stash by making up learning activities with things we have on hand. You can check out the other Learn with your craft stash projects here.
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Very cute! I hope the birds appreciated your help!
ReplyDeleteHi Sarah, I hope so to. My daughter was eager to provide more help!
DeleteThe idea is a good one but do not use synthetic threads or yarns.
ReplyDeleteThe natural fibres break down safely. The synthetic fibres last a very long time.
Unfortunately those synthetic threads have a tendency to become tangled around the tiny legs of baby birds. The birds also tend to try to swallow the pieces of thread, causing gut problems if they are synthetic.
Learning which are natural fibres is good for the children. Using natural fibres is good for the birds.
Good point, Louise. I will update the post to make sure everyone understands the importance of using natural materials. At least in our area, cotton and wool yarns are widely available.
Delete