Tag Archives: birds

Upcycled Water Bottle Bird Feeder for Tu B’Shevat

Posted on 02/01/2015 | Comments Off on Upcycled Water Bottle Bird Feeder for Tu B’Shevat
bottle bird feeder

black oil sunflower seed, bamboo perch

Upcycled water bottles as birdfeeders are not new, so why am I sharing this?

Because this morning I sort of perfected them. My class of 2nd graders made a bunch and we had to be quick. So shall I: Continue reading →

Comments Off on Upcycled Water Bottle Bird Feeder for Tu B’Shevat

Posted in Activity, Crafts, Nature, Tu B'Shevat

Tagged , , , ,

Nature work: a Mitzvah Birdbath

Posted on 05/06/2013 | 5 comments

Mitzvah Project—The Tza’ar ba’aley Chayim Birdbath—a quick or slow nature project for home or school.

DSC01388

So subtle, I had to add an arrow

Until yesterday, my synagogue didn’t have a bird bath or any other water source for animals.  I haven’t seen one in the 20 years I’ve been a member. Our courtyard is a perfect place for informal birdwatching: surrounded by classroom windows on two sides, and the Internet Cafe and school entrance on the third. I’m a Volunteer Tennessee Naturalist. I think about this sort of thing alot.  It would have been so easy to buy and install a birdbath by myself in less than an hour, and bingo: water for wildlife.  Or, I could make it a Mitzvah Project in a slow way, a participatory way, a way that makes for several active lesson plans, and that can foster a student’s sense of investment, stewardship, community and empowerment. Continue reading →

5 Comments

Posted in Activity, Nature

Tagged , ,

Tu B’Shevat stuff: indoor gardening, edible bowls, sugar overload and birdfeeders

Posted on 01/17/2013 | 3 comments

Here’s a quick list of links to my earlier posts for Tu B’Shevat.  New ones coming soon…

pear seedlings from our snack

pear seedlings from our snack

Eat a Fruit, Plant the Seeds:  So easy.  Cut open a fruit with your kid. Eat it, plant the seed.  Of course, I mention a few Jewish-y choices of trees, but the important take-away is that THIS is where trees come from. Can’t get more thematic.

How (and Why) to Let Kids Plant Tu B’Shevat Parsley.  Detailed how-tos here. I’ve a method that works without compromising hands-on learning or enthusiasm.
Find out why the go-to Tu B’Shevat planting activity is not about planting trees. Continue reading →

3 Comments

Posted in Activity, Crafts, Nature, Tu B'Shevat

Tagged , , , ,

Feed the birds: easy little-kid plan for home or school

Posted on 06/12/2012 | 4 comments

feeding the birds

How and why I feed birds with little kids. Expect lasting effects built upon fleeting moments of fun. ————

It’s mid-May and Spring has already started to look like Summer.  There is no lack of natural foodstuff for birds on the ground, in the air, on leaves and trees.  But twice a week, I take a bag of black oil sunflower to my son’s preschool.  It might seem odd that I keep shelling out the big bucks for top-quality black-oil sunflower seed despite the seasonal plenty at hand (at beak).  But then again, Spring migration only just peaked, and Nashville has visitors who have come a long, long way, Continue reading →

4 Comments

Posted in Nature

Tagged ,