This week, the children have enjoyed bird watching and looking for other signs of winter (ice, moss, snowdrops, spiders webs) in our outdoor garden. So far, they have spotted lots of magpies. They had fun recording their findings. Below, are a few comments from the children.
- “We have to be quiet.”
- “We have to hide and then they’ll come.”
- “We need to put some food out, they will smell it and come.”
- “They like worms.”
Home-link Challenge – 3 challenge cubes
This weekend, it is the big garden birdwatch. Can your child spot any birds/other signs of winter?
Birds to look out for: Blackbird, Blue tit and Chaffinch.
This week, we have also been exploring bird cakes. Making cakes for the birds is great, sticky fun and the mix of fat, seeds and mealworms is irresistible for many garden birds!
Why not try and make a bird cake at home to attract the birds to your garden?
What you will need:
- String
- Scissors
- Mixing bowl
- Molds eg empty yogurt pots
- Mealworms
- Lard to bind the other ingredients together
- Mixed seed
- Nuts (unsalted)
- Raisins
- Hard cheese
Step-by-step guide
- Make a small hole in the bottom of your mould. Thread string through and tie a knot on the inside. Leave enough string so that you can tie the pot to a tree/bird table.
- If using lard, allow the fat to warm up to room temperature. Then cut it up into small pieces and put it in the mixing bowl.
- Add the other ingredients to the bowl and mix them together with your finger tips. This bit can get quite sticky!
- Fill your yoghurt pots with bird cake mixture and put them in the fridge to set (1 hour).
- Hang your speedy bird cakes from trees or your bird table.
Remember to take photos and maybe a photo or drawing of the birds flocking down to eat it!
Please email photos and comments from your child so we can share your sightings next week. This will support us in our assessment by providing evidence towards the Understanding the World strand of the EYFS.
They make observations of animals and plants and explain why some things occur, and talk about changes.