I asked the kids to bring in a clear jar (at least spaghetti-sauce size) and a bag of good soil to today's meeting. (If it is forgotten, it can come in next time.) The soil is best collected from a place where things grow wild. In other words, don't get it from a dry, dusty corner, or a perfectly-manicured lawn--we want wild seeds to be there and to grow! We will put these on a sunny window sill and see what happens as the weeks go by!
In other news, my early bird feeder project was a disappointment, but not necessarily because of the design. I put up several bird feeders this fall and saw not a single bird UNTIL IT STARTED SNOWING. The birds this year seem to have no trouble finding food, and seldom visit unless it snows--then they come in numbers! If you want to continue feeding birds, the best feeders are the tube-type for small birds, and platform feeders for larger birds. (My platform feeder is a square of plywood about 16" on a side screwed to the top of a 2X2 wooden stick, which is fastened securely to my deck railing. Since I painted the 2X2, the squirrels can't get up there!) A lot of birds love sunflower seeds, but ordinary seed mix is fine, is cheaper, and is what I use.
I began the Afterschool program with high hopes of teaching outdoor skills, but this group, at this age (mostly 3rd graders), mainly need to get OUTSIDE and MOVE AROUND, so that is where the focus has shifted. We do continue to practice knots ocassionally, and learn about animals, the moon, and so forth. Reflecting on my formative years, I realize that the natural world was for me a place to play; only when I got older did I begin to wonder what that bird was, or that tree, or that planet. I hope they'll get to that point some day!
In other news, my early bird feeder project was a disappointment, but not necessarily because of the design. I put up several bird feeders this fall and saw not a single bird UNTIL IT STARTED SNOWING. The birds this year seem to have no trouble finding food, and seldom visit unless it snows--then they come in numbers! If you want to continue feeding birds, the best feeders are the tube-type for small birds, and platform feeders for larger birds. (My platform feeder is a square of plywood about 16" on a side screwed to the top of a 2X2 wooden stick, which is fastened securely to my deck railing. Since I painted the 2X2, the squirrels can't get up there!) A lot of birds love sunflower seeds, but ordinary seed mix is fine, is cheaper, and is what I use.
I began the Afterschool program with high hopes of teaching outdoor skills, but this group, at this age (mostly 3rd graders), mainly need to get OUTSIDE and MOVE AROUND, so that is where the focus has shifted. We do continue to practice knots ocassionally, and learn about animals, the moon, and so forth. Reflecting on my formative years, I realize that the natural world was for me a place to play; only when I got older did I begin to wonder what that bird was, or that tree, or that planet. I hope they'll get to that point some day!
No comments:
Post a Comment