Blossoms for Birds Tutorial

This week's How-To is Blossoms for Birds Tutorial by Donni, from Fairyfolk from the Natural Kids Team. Where I live the birds are just coming back, the flowers beginning to pop their heads out of the ground, so I can sure use this great post now! Hope you enjoy this installment of the Spring & Easter Themed tutorials.

Blossoms for Birds:

Here in Southern California, Spring has definitely arrived! Our nights are cool, our mornings are crisp and our days are warm and sunny... it's lovely weather, my favorite time of the year. The squirrels come out, the jasmine blooms and the birds start collecting treasures to build their nests with.

We have a spring tradition that we call 'Blossoms for Birds'. Each year as Spring approaches and we start to notice the birds building their nests, we decorate a bare tree branch with lovely soft wool for them. We find a branch.

Saw it to the right length for little people to reach even the top branches.
And then we put the bare branch in a spot in the garden, just beyond our deck, where we can watch it from our dining room. It's best to put the branch in a visible place, somewhere where you can watch it, undetected by the outside creatures.
Collect a basket of spring-colored wool scraps. I let K choose any color she wanted from my precious stash.
Decorate the bare tree with the wool, winding it around the branches and twigs.
Timone, our squirrel, came to see what we were doing.
She caused great distress by climbing down our Blossoms for Birds tree, nearly knocking it over and making K very angry... "This is for the BIRDS, Timone!" K scolded.
We were able to placate her with a few nuts while we finished decorating our wool tree.
It looks so pretty, covered in colorful tufts of wool, however, a pretty tree is not why we made our Blossoms for Birds Tree... it's for the birds to build their nests with!
All Spring long, we'll watch from our dining room table as the neighborhood birds are attracted to the colorful wool. They'll twitter about in a frenzy of excitement at the lovely soft wool they've found. They'll take a colorful bundle in their beak and fly off with it to build their nests. Just imagine what their nests will look like... pink, blue yellow... so pretty and soft for the sweet little baby birds.
I know that not many of you will have colorful wool roving scraps lying around, so I have listed for purchase a few packets of colorful wool bits in my shop. Enjoy!

Blessings and magic! Donni

This tutorial is brought to you by Natalie, of Woolhalla

Please visit Donni at her blog The Magic Onions where you can see the original post, plus other great tutorials and share the "magical journey of childhood with us"

Check out her Etsy shop Fairyfolk where you beautiful needle felted items, including some super sweet bunnies and chicks.

Kid's Craft ~ Nature Collage

A trip to the beach or the park usually results in a pocketful of treasures: sea shells, rocks, pinecones, even sticks have made their way back to our house. These become welcome memories of our adventures and have often found their way into the kids’ imaginative play. While we do have displays for these special items, after an impromptu trip to the beach yesterday, we decided to make collages as a new way to preserve these memories.

This activity is a wonderful way to recap your adventures, whether later the same day, or weeks after. As we sorted through our treasures, the kids were able to recall (for some items) where they came from and the fun we had while there.

To make your own collage, you will need an empty cereal box (or something else that is sturdy, as paper will not be heavy enough), colouring markers, crayons or pencils, white craft glue, treasures and your imagination!

Each child was given a piece of boxboard and chose their treasures that they wanted to use. You may wish to draw your picture and add your treasures as embellishments. If using rocks and shells (or other heavy items), make sure you use plenty of glue. Feel free to use other bits and bobs to round out your picture.

By moving your items this way and that, you'll be amazed what they can turn into. We saw butterflies, birds and trees. Below, a shell became a turtle.

While the younger ones used their treasures as decorations, it was interesting to watch our older son use his to recreate scenes from the beach this morning (although we didn't see any turtles). This is a terrific activity to relive adventures and a great way to display treasured memories.

Making Dream Catchers with MuddyFeet

Dream Catchers made by myself and my two boys, ages 9 and 12

I thought I would offer up a little something for the older kids in today's Kid Craft.  This is a wonderful project for quiet summer afternoons, and the dream catchers make great gifts for loved ones (especially a sibling that might have bad dreams!).   Younger kids can do it too, they just might need some extra hands and help.  By the way, this is a perfect activity to tie into a geometry unit.  The spiraling design created by bisecting the line segments is fascinating (to me at least)!

Beads, feathers, string, branches and scissors
are all that's needed!

Materials needed:

Thin flexible branches (we used suckers off our mesquite tree, but you could use willow or grapevines - just make sure that whatever you choose, it is safe to be handled by children)

Strong string (we used fine hemp, but waxed linen does the job beautifully.  Kite string or even embroidery floss would work as well).

Scissors

Beads and feathers if desired

To begin, you want to make sure that any leaves are completely removed from the branches.  Also break or cut off any very thin ends.  Our branches were about 12 to 16 inches in length after we removed the tips.  If you are using grapevines or a similar material, you may have to soak them for a while first to make them more flexible.   Have ready a 4 foot piece of string (longer for bigger branches).

The beginning is perhaps the most difficult part, and it may help to have a couple extra hands here.  You may also want to have some extra branches in case they snap while working them.  Slowly and carefully bend the branches into a circle with the ends slightly overlapping.  You don't need a perfect circle, part of the charm of these are the unique shapes that are formed! 

When you have your circular shape, tie one end of your string around as tightly as you can (this is where you might need those extra hands).  Don't let go yet!  The branch ends may slip apart, so wrap your string tightly around and around until they feel secure.

When you are happy with the binding, make one final wrap with your string but don't tighten it.  First bring the end through the loop that you have made, this will help cinch it down in place.

Now it's time to create the web.  One stitch is used over and over again to make the whole thing!  Start with your string at the front.  Now loop around behind the branch and up through the hole that you created between the string and the branch.   Pull this tight a short distance away from your wrapping. 

Now continue making those stitches all the way around your circle, perhaps an inch or so apart.

When you have reached your starting point, rather than working on the branch, you will move to the string.  Make your same little loop that you have been making, but make it around the midpoint of the string segment, then move onto the next midpoint.

Here is what it should look like when you have gone full circle twice.

And three and a half times.  You can add a bead (the spider) by just slipping it onto the string (slide it all the way down) and continue on.  When you come back around to your spider, you may be a little confused.  Just pick one side or the other to make your loop around and try to slide the loop as close to the center as possible.

When you have gone around the web as many times as you want and are happy with the web (or are about out of string), make a little knot by bringing your string through the loop another time.  Pull tight and make sure it is secure.

If you still want to continue your web, but have run out of string, no worries!  Just make as small and neat a knot as possible when adding another length of string to the first.  The knots will not be too noticeable, especially if you can keep them on the back side. 

You can tie feathers onto the remainder of the string that is hanging down.  Wrap them with string to really secure them.  Or you can just cut it off and enjoy as is.  If you prefer, you can cut a string for each side of the hoop, tie them on, string beads and tie on feathers.  Go crazy with the beads and feathers or keep it simple, it's up to you!

All that's left is to tie a loop onto the top for hanging.

Then find a place to hang and enjoy!  Sweet Dreams!

MuddyFeet

MuddyFeet.etsy.com

TheMuddyFoot.blogspot.com