Christmas for the Birds!

Our youngest granddaughter spends almost every Friday evening with us. I pick her up from school and try to make our time together as special as possible.  During the summer months, we do a lot of swimming and bike riding.  In the winter we spend more time in the kitchen or my craft room (which she refers to as "her" arts & craft room!)  I know that time is fleeting and, much too soon, she will be spending Friday nights doing things other than being with her Nana & Papa! 

Ever since she was a toddler she has enjoyed helping me with the garden chores.  We've planted flowers, painted rocks, made birdhouses, she helps to water the plants (at times she got more wet than the flowers!)  She especially likes to feed the birds.  I keep a galvanized container on the back porch, filled with bird seed.  On Saturday mornings she makes it her mission to fill up the various containers in the back yard where the birds feed. I thought she would enjoy making some Christmas bird seed wreaths for the birds so this project occupied our time one recent afternoon.

These wreaths were easy to make and was something that a 7-year old could do with little assistance from an adult. We made them one afternoon and the next morning unmolded them and attached some tulle for hanging. She was thrilled when she spotted the first finch pecking away at one of them! We have a few neighbors that are bird feeders, too, so we bagged up some wreaths and distributed them as gifts. The expression on her face, as the neighbors exclaimed over her gift, was priceless. It truly is better to give than receive!

The bird seed mixture is sticky so we found using waxed paper helped when pressing the mixture into the pan.

Besides being a fun granddaughter-Nana project, these wreaths serve a useful purpose. During the winter months natural food supplies for birds are least available.  Providing a food source for the backyard birds gives them a greater chance of surviving the winter. Well-fed birds in the winter equal happy, chirping birds in the spring!

Bird Seed Wreaths

4 cups bird seed
1/2 cup warm water
1 envelope Knox gelatin
3/4 cup flour
3 tablespoons light corn syrup

Combine the water and gelatin in a large bowl, then whisk in the flour and corn syrup.  Mix in the bird seed.  Press firmly into a lightly greased bundt pan ( used a mini bundt pan).  Let dry for a few hours in the bundt pan then pop them out of the mold so they can dry out completely, approximately 24 hours. Add a length of wide ribbon for hanging (narrow ribbon or twine will tear through the wreath).

Note:  These to not hold up to rain, so place in a covered spot or take down if rain is coming. In dry California that's not a big concern!