Birds get fast food.
November 15, 2010
So the conversation started like this:
IAN: Where do earffworms go in the winter, Mom?
ME: Um, I don’t know. I think they freeze. Or maybe they hibernate. I’ll read about it.
IAN: What do birds eat in the winter then?
ME: Well, they find whatever they can.
IAN: Ok. I’ll start collecting.
1/2 hour later Ian comes to get me with his collection pictured above:
IAN: Look mom. This is for the birds to eat in the winter!
ME: Oh! That’s great! There’s one problem though. Birds don’t eat rocks. Or flower petals. Maybe we can collect something else.
IAN: Like what? How can we feed them mom? The earffworms will freeeee-eeee-eeze (insert hyper shivering child here).
ME: Hey, I know…let’s talk to Dad when he gets home, and maybe we can have a family project to build a bird feeder this weekend. We can go to the store…and…
IAN: Is Dad home yet? I’ll wait on the porch.
4 hours later:
Evidently, Kenneth didn’t even get to come inside the house. While I was getting Ella up from her nap, I came out on the back porch to see this. The man was building before he even had time to put his bag down.
OK. Don’t freak out and send me hate mail. Yes, my almost 5 year old is inches away from a scary blade…of course he was never close to it while it was on. He was in charge of marking the wood. But we’re of the school of thought that if you teach children young, they understand danger and how to act around it. Ian learned how to saute onions on the stove at age three, for instance…attended by an adult of course. But anyways….I have to cover myself because, you know, this is the internet and I’ve been sent hate mail for things like having my 1 year old in point shoes. Anyways…I digress….
So what I thought was going to turn into a fun weekend long project, took exactly an hour. We had scrap fence pieces laying around, and some tools to boot.
It got quite loud…but never boring.
Ken built a little hinged rooftop so we could pour the seed in and out easily. And the large tray would allow multiple birds to eat at the same time. (We have some big birds around here, and the last thing I wanted was to encourage fighting. Can you tell I’m a mom of 3 children under 5?)
And Voila. A simple solution to frozen earthworms.
It took a about 3 days for the birds to figure out it was there, and to come often. Now, we have birds we’ve never even seen before! Namely the really tiny ones that stay hidden. I’m going to have to start learning more about birds now…and it makes me so happy. Ella yells, “Ba! Ba!” and the children have learned to stop talking (yelling) at breakfast when they see the birds in the feeder so they don’t scare them away.
Perfect. I’m starting to feel ready for winter already. We’re keeping the birds happy in our corner of the earth. Or at least we’re keeping the birds close to us so we can feel there is still life when winter erases most of it away. Either way, I’m happy.
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That’s a wonderful story. I love how you work with your children!
So full of wonder, stewardship, and example. What lovely parents you are.
this is so cool! It is a wonderful lesson for me on: 1) problem solving and empowering your child to think he can be part of the solution, 2) showing that anything handled with respect and care does not need to be forbidden because it might cause bodily harm. Confidence creates safety habits and safety logic that can be applied to many situations.
Love love love it. I love that children make us want to learn so much. I guess I need to go refill the birdfeeder!
that is so sweet. and what a nice bird house!
oh my gosh! How cool is that!!
I love everything about this post, the lesson, the gift to nature. This one is a treasure to keep, I’ll be showing my kids this one and see what they come up with once inspired!
i love this post. we love watching the birds also.
i always think of when my 4 yr old was a baby in a high chair, i swirled her around to look at the birds in the backyard and just then our giant cat swooped up and caught one! i swirled her back around really fast! it is a pretty funny memory.
What a wonderful story! I love the sweet innocent hearts of our children. How precious that he wanted to take care of the birds.
Watching birds in the winter is truly one of the best delights in life. I remember sitting at my grandma’s kitchen table as a child; she would tell me stories about the individual birds that came to the feeders (she had five or six, all for different types of birds). I’m glad you’re initiating you children into the delights of our feathered friends! X
Love it!
We started feeding the birds in our area last winter, and discovered many species we didn’t even know were in the area. The kids love identifying them now, and we can recognize many visitors by their calls alone. It’s a lot of fun. If you don’t have any bird identification books yet, try the website allaboutbirds.org — lots of info there.
By the way, if I had to hazard a guess, I’d say the bird in the photo you posted might be a Scrub Jay. Pretty bird whatever it is–I don’t think we have those here.
Have fun!
Awesome. I totally agree, teach your children safety, don’t try to hyper protect them. And hey, they are learning how to “do” stuff. Lots of kids don’t learn life skills, like cooking, anymore.
I love this, Sarah! What a cute little family : )
That is one AWESOME bird house… especially considering the spontaneity behind it!
I can relate to the part about your kids having to hush when the birds are eating, I still have to remind my Baby Chomp to do the same thing! Thanks for sharing your adventures!
Great post, Sarah. I am inspired…and amazed. I can’t believe you had everything to make a bird house just lying around. Can’t wait to see it this weekend.
That’s an awesome story, and no hate here. I have a boy, and a husband, and the boy uses tools. UNDER SUPERVISION. And it’s oooooh-kaaaaay.
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