We re-purposed an old birdhouse that was falling apart at the foundation. My husband took out the floor and mounted it up on screws to a sturdy new base. He cut a hole on top and made a little door with copper flashing. Then Jack and I sanded down the sign on top and wrote a new message. After some deliberation (Jack had a lot he wanted to say to the birds) we edited it down to "Welcome Birds. Free Food!" He was very pleased with the results.
We got some sunflower seeds from a local garden store that has bulk bins where you can scoop the seed out yourself, weigh it, and pour it into a paper bag. What a great activity -- look, feel, choose, scoop, weigh, pour -- the process alone was an event and Jack loved it.
Filling the feeder is yet another great sensory and fine motor activity. And watching the birds come and go, and the mischievous squirrels compete for the food is great fun too.
My son has so much to say to the birds. He makes me roll down the windows in the car so he can tell the geese in the road to be careful. He has a conversation going on with the pigeons at a construction site we pass every day. And he likes to hear the birds "talk" to him when he wakes up in the morning.
Does your child ever have conversations with critters?
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