My favourite bird is the blue tit because it’s the prettiest – JD, 4

Did you know it’s currently National Nest Box Week (14th-21st February)?

To mark the occasion, Nature’s Feast sent us a bird feeder, bird seed and a whole ream of activities so that JD could learn more about wild birds.

Learning about birds

JD and I set up the bird feeder outside but he seemed convinced the birds would swoop in immediately and start feeding.

To give them a bit of time to find the goods, we headed inside and started work on the activities:

• Cut & colour birds
• Bird watch bingo
• Nutty bird facts
• My observations (a birds study record)
• Common bird species poster

JD had fun colouring in the birds (using the poster to match the colours – he’s a perfectionist), while I read him the fun bird facts.

For example did you know that “if you see a blackbird, with its wings spread and its beak gaping, lying on the ground, don’t worry – it’s probably just sunbathing“? Nope, neither did I.

The activities were also a great opportunity for JD to think critically about why things are the way they are. He asked some great questions such as, “why are birds are different colours?” and “how do birds fly?”

You can download all the activities free if you want to have a go with your little ones.

Bird watching

We’ve been going out to check our bird feeder every day and while the seed is definitely going down, we’ve yet to catch a bird in the act.

Not to be deterred, we made up our own bird cake recipe and put a couple of these on the wall opposite our kitchen window. Our garden should be teeming with birds soon.

How to make bird cakes

For each bird cake you’ll need…

• 250g of fat e.g. lard or Trex – nothing salty
• 250g bird seed
• 2 large plastic cups
• 30cm length of string
• Something pointy e.g. a skewer
• A stick or an old paint brush

Instructions

1. Pierce a hole in the bottom of one cup
2. Thread the string through and tie a knot on the outside of the base
3. Put the cup inside the second cup so that the knot is trapped between the two bases – this prevents any leaks
4. Melt the fat in a pan and allow to cool until it’s luke warm and safe for small hands
5. Pour in the seeds and stir well
6. Pour the mix into the cup, trying to keep the string in the middle – some of the fat will rise to the top
7. Wrap the string around the stick or old brush to keep the excess string out the fat and hold the ‘wick’ in place while the cake sets
8. Put in the fridge until set
9. Run under warm water and the cake should come out – you may need to run a knife round the sides
10. Hang in your garden and wait!

Hope you have as much fun as we did.

Disclosure: A bird feeder, seeds and activity sheets were provided to us by Nature’s Feast free-of-charge for review. No payment was received and this post is 100% honest. Please see my review/disclosure policy for more information.