The birdies in our garden have managed to gobble down everything on our bird feeders in just a week! fb.me/ZrTML3ob
Browsing articles in "A Toddler Trick for outdoors"
Peanut Butter Bird Feeder – a Toddler Trick for outdoors
There were many reasons why we enjoyed visiting my great aunt but helping her to fill her bird feeder was definitely one of them. I must have been quite young at the time but I can remember watching the birds eating the seeds and enjoying the antics of all the different species that came to feed. While food is plentiful at this time of year for most birds, coming into autumn can be a good time to start a bird feeder that you can tend over into the winter months. There are some elaborate feeders around to buy but our ‘peanut butter pinecone’ feeder is not only fun to make, it is cheap, easy for little hands and it only takes a couple of minutes to create.
Building a bird feeder is a Toddler Trick for all ages, with some older toddlers managing to make their own alongside you. Please be careful in using peanut butter around children who may have allergies – any other nut butter can be substituted but it does add to the cost.
What you need to make one feeder: (we usually make two or more in one go)
- - A pine cone – or any other cone you can find! You can hang several small ones in a cluster to good effect.
- - Small bag of bird seed – pet shops, some hardware stores and supermarkets are also good sources
- - Peanut butter – a large jar of the cheapest unsalted brand you can find, the birds aren’t fussy
- - A spatula for spreading
- - A bowl
- - String or yarn for hanging the finished cone.
What you do:
1. This can get a bit messy, but that is all part of the fun. I would recommend working with a floor cover or in an area that you can sweep up. An apron for all those participating is also a good idea.
2. If you are worried about messy hands I would tie the string to your pine cone before you start. Usually the bottom, or fattest end of the pine cone is the easiest. Be sure to leave enough length in the string to tie around a branch or railing.
3. Using the spatula drop a couple of good spoonfuls of peanut butter onto one side of your pine cone. Show your toddler how to spread the peanut butter into the cracks on the cone. My toddler used a plastic spoon and did a great job of covering the cone and herself with a couple of taste tests along the way.
4. You can choose to cover both sides of the cone with peanut butter (we did) or just one if you don’t want to get sticky hands.
5. Next, place the cone in a bowl and pour in some birdseed. Be careful to explain to your helpers that this is for the birds to eat, not us. Pick up handfuls of the seed and pat firmly into the peanut butter. Use as much of the seed as you can push into the peanut butter. My toddler loved holding up handfuls of birdseed and watching it sprinkle over the cone.
6. And that it is. Time to hang your cone and watch for birds.
7. It can take a day or two for the birds to find your creation – don’t get disheartened, they will come. Be careful to hang your feeder on the tip of a branch which is most likely to be out of reach from cats and other predators.
8. Unlike a lot of feeders this version is pretty much weather proof. Peanut butter stands up well in the heat and in the rain – ours withstood a couple of storms and didn’t lose much seed at all. Once the seed is all gone, give the cone a bit of a wash and start again.
Milk Bottle Water Can – a Toddler Trick for outdoors
This is a really simple, inexpensive, watering can to make. But even better, because you keep the lid on the top, spills are kept to a minimum. The water doesn’t come out particularly fast (unless you squeeze the bottom of the bottle) so a small amount of water can go a very long way and you minimise the number of watering ‘accidents’ you have. Your milk bottle watering can, can also go on walks with you and replacements can almost be instantly made should it go missing. We are using ours to water our tomato plant on a daily basis.
This Toddler Trick is great for all toddlers!
What you need:
- - Empty 1 litre milk bottle with lid attached
- - Large nail
How to make:
1. Use the nail to punch about 10 holes on the opposite side of the milk bottle to the handle – at approximately the same height (as shown in the picture below)
2. Put about 4cm of water in the bottom of the milk bottle, screw the lid on tightly and then show your toddler how to water. The flow will be just a trickle…if you want anything more than that, squeeze the end of the bottle while your toddler is watering.
Grow My Own Tomatoes – a Toddler Trick for outdoors
My mother wasn’t blessed with green fingers but that didn’t deter her from trying to teach us some gardening basics and growing little tomatoes outside our kitchen window was a regular summer feature. We all enjoyed picking the little sweet red tomatoes and eating them that night for dinner. I now enjoy passing on the same experience to my toddler and for about the cost of two punnets of cherry tomatoes we got a sturdy tomato plant, a plastic bucket and enough potting mix to fill the bucket. This blog is all about the planting and harvesting…we will be tracking the progress of our tomatoes on Facebook and look forward to sharing regular updates.
This toddler trick is perfect for toddlers of all ages – older toddlers will able to be a lot more involved in the day to day care. This is a late spring or summer activity as you will need to have warm conditions for growing.
What you need:
- - A large bucket (we got ours from the $2 shop) Or you can plant directly into the garden if you have your own
- - Tomato plant – bigger the better! (we picked ours up for $1.99 from our local garden centre)
- - Potting mix or soil to fill the bucket
- - Nail for punching drainage holes in the bottom of the bucket (can use a drill if you’ve got one)
What to do:
1. Punch drainage holes in the base of your bucket so that your plant won’t get waterlogged.
2. With the help of your toddler, fill the bucket with potting mix or soil almost to the top.
3. Dig a hole in the middle (older toddlers will love helping to do this).
4. Carefully remove the tomato plant from its little pot; this is a job for large hands and you do need to take care that you don’t snap the stem in the process.
5. Loosen the soil around the tomato plant’s roots and place in the hole. Get your toddler to help cover the roots with soil and spread some more soil to top up the bucket.
6. Water the plant generously. This is another fun activity for your toddler to get involved in; look out for our next post on making your own watering can from a milk bottle!
7. Place the bucket in a warm, sheltered position. If you are experiencing really hot days then you will want to make sure they are in shade during the hottest part of the day. A handle on your bucket makes it really easy to shift around until you find the right place.
8. Water daily. Make this part of your toddler’s routine and make checking on your tomato plant a highlight of the day. Point out new leaves, the flowers as they appear and then the tiny green tomatoes as they start to grow.
9. As your plant grows you may want to put a stick (or stake) into the bucket and tie your tomato loosely to it; or you can opt to have it cascade over the bucket and roam freely. This last approach is not for the purest but it is a good option if your toddler has a passion for sticks and keeps stealing it out of the bucket like mine did.
10. Select a special container or bowl for picking and displaying your tomatoes. They will arrive in one’s and two’s to start with but as the days go by you might be able to clip a branch full – just like the vine tomatoes you buy in stores.
11. Heap lots of praise on your budding gardener and make sure everyone knows that they grew the tomatoes – they will be the best tasting tomatoes you will ever eat!!
Note: Not all growing projects are successful. Under or over watering can cause issues…like killing the plant. Raising more than one plant can cover you for this if your budget allows (that was my mother’s tactic). You can also fall victim to attacks by insects and plant diseases; I am absolutely no expert on this and would advise you to head to your nearest garden centre for help as that is exactly what I would do. They will also be able to advise you on the best tomato variety for your climate and for growing in pots.
Strawberry Picking – a Toddler Trick for outdoors
Strawberries are an absolute favourite in our household so we have come up with a great way of having a strawberry picking experience in your own back yard. Over the holidays we were lucky enough to actually go strawberry picking, so we have also given you some tips and ideas of mounting your own strawberry exbidition if you are lucky enough to live near a strawberry garden as there is nothing like picking and eating sun kissed fruit on a summers day.
This toddler trick is perfect for any toddler.
Strawberry picking at home
What you need:
- - Punnet of strawberries
- - 4 -5 small container lids
- - A toddler sized container to collect the strawberries in
How to play:
1. Divide your strawberries between the lids, 3-4 strawberries per lid.
2. Dot the strawberry filled lids around the gardenGive your toddler the container and demonstrate how to pick up the strawberries off the lid and place in the bucket – it won’t take them long to get the idea.
3. Encourage them to sample the strawberries as they go – as that is the best part of strawberry picking and all part of the fun.
4. Wash the strawberries when you get inside and chop up to serve with icecream or yoghurt and lots of praise for the strawberry picker!
Strawberry picking outing
Strawberries really are the perfect fruit for toddlers to pick; with the plants being so low to the ground it makes it very easy for your toddler to pull off the branches and navigate themselves around the garden. Most pick-your-own gardens are very tolerant of children but be sure to ask if there are any ‘rules’ before you head out.
What you need:
- - A pick-your-own strawberry (or other fruit) garden; local papers or a quick internet search should help you to find one
- - Sun block and a sun hat (there won’t be much, if any, shade)
- - Sturdy shoes in case there are prickles
- - Clothes that won’t show the berry stains- red is the best!
- - Water bottle because it is thirsty work
- - Wipes for a quick wipe down before jumping back in the car – strawberry tasting can be messy!
What to do:
1. Select a picking space that is away from others so your toddler can focus on the job at hand. It is best that you hold the container for the strawberries and that your toddler puts their strawberries into the communal lot.
2. Show your toddler how to lift up the leaves to find the red strawberries that are hiding there. Show them the difference between the green and red berries and get them to pluck a few red ones and put them in the container with your close supervision.
3. I had expected an absolute over-kill of strawberry eating but inspite of strawberries being my toddler’s favourite fruit she turned out to be very intent on picking and not so interested in eating! She did nibble on a few (as did we all) but by in large she picked far more than she ateIt really didn’t take long – probably 15-20 minutes of actual picking to fill two large containers between the four of us.
4. My toddler had a lot of fun just running up and down the rows, showing us the big berries she had found and checking out all the strawberries in the containers.
TweetWater Painting – a Toddler Trick for outdoors
We recently discovered that painting doesn’t always have to be messy. Water painting has been an absolute favourite of one of our tricky friends Cooper who showed us how to play it. His mum reports that Cooper water paints the concrete outside, the windows, his toys and sometimes even the family dog! When visiting his grandparents over the holidays a bucket and a paint brush kept him busy for hours. It has fast become a favourite in our house too and we are encouraging the water painting in the hope it will extend to car washing in future years.
This toddler trick is perfect for toddlers of all ages.
What you need:
- Bucket of water
- Paint brush(s)
What to do:
1. Take your bucket of water and paint brush outside, a couple of inches of water is fine as your toddler will want to carry it them selves.
2. Find a safe area for your toddler to paint.
3. Get your toddler started on a wooden or concrete surface where you really see the water marks. They will quickly get the idea.
4. Water painting a bike, scooter or toys are another extension.
Your toddler will enjoy the freedom of being able to paint anywhere they want! Just be sure they understand that it doesn’t extend to when they are using real paint inside.
TweetConstruction Site Watching – a Toddler Trick for outdoors
Although my daughter is great at entertaining herself, hours of unstructured play can get boring! We have been very lucky the last few months as the house next door to us is under renovation. My daughter is absolutely fascinated watching the the builders hammer, drill and dump dirt. We sit together on a little hill watching, listening and imitating the builders for hours. Are there any new houses or buildings under construction in your area? Got a toddler who loves trucks and diggers? I recommend you head to the nearest construction site with your toddler and settle in for some wonderful watching and then head home to try some of our toddler tricks for budding builders.
This toddler trick is perfect for any toddler.
What you need:
- Find a house that is under renovation or a construction site that is in your area.
- If your toddler has their own trucks, diggers or tools take them along with you or check out our improvised tools from around the house at the bottom of the page.
What to do:
1. Find a construction site or home renovation that’s in your area.
2. Find a good spot to watch from making sure yourself and your toddler are a safe distance from all the action. If the builders are half way friendly they will most likley wave and say hello, it’s not everyday they have a fan club!
3. Spend half an hour or so with your toddler watching the construction workers drill, dig, hammer and dump dirt. You can go through all the different sounds and actions that you can see and hear with your toddler. If your toddler has their own diggers, trucks or tools they can imitate and role play what the builders and construction workers are doing.
This construction phase we are having has sparked a lot of other great activity ideas for all our budding builders out there.
- Tools – if your toddler doesn’t have any building tools improvise and use household items. A plastic bowl as a construction workers hat, an apron or belt as a builders tool belt, kitchen utensils as tools, a peg as a pretend drill and a bucket and spade as a hammer and nail. You can take them to the site to watch or set your toddler up with their own building site inside the house or in the back yard. (it’s fun in it self just dressing up.)
- Diggers and dump trucks – take your toddler to the beach to practise their digging and dumping with the sand.
- Hammering – get your toddler to practise their hammering by using containers and a wooden spoon. Your toddler will have a lot of fun hammering the lids onto the containers with their wooden spoon. They may need some help taking the lids off the containers.
- Building – if your toddler has blocks of any kind, help them make a house or a high tower!
TweetHansel And Gretel – a Toddler Trick for outdoors
I love the tale of Hansel and Gretel; following a trail of breadcrumbs home always sounded such fun. However replicating the feat for real is fraught with not just birds but my toddler wanting to eat the trail rather than lay it! So I have come up with a solution that works for us all. No special skills required and it makes walking a well worn trail a lot more fun! Great if you have to do a regular trip to school or kindy too.
This Toddler Trick can be adapted for Toddlers of all ages
What you need:
- - A pack of chalk – the cheapest you can find (I got mine from the $2 shop)
- - A pushchair if your toddler is not used to walking very far
- - Some safe walking shoes for you both!
How to play:
1. Starting at your gate draw a symbol with your chalk that you can easily replicate. I use a smiley face, a basic house, or a cat face…make sure it is big enough to be easily spotted from the height of your pushchair.
2. Now walk a good ten strides and draw another one somewhere on the footpath. I usually do this outward bound part with my toddler safely in the pushchair or in my backpack (it’s good exercise for the legs!) If your toddler is older they might like to help with drawing too.
3. Don’t go too far the first time. Once you have reached your turn around point you can start the fun part! My toddler loves walking herself and I find the focus of finding the drawings we have left behind keeps her a lot more contained than if she is free-ranging. I still keep a tight hold of her but she walks a lot further (and faster) when we are playing Hansel and Gretel than if we are just strolling along.
4. When she was smaller (or if she is too tired to walk) we still follow the trail home but we spot the drawings from the pushchair – she points and I run from drawing to drawing. I guess we look pretty crazy but there is a lot of laughing and a really quick trip home!
Tweet
Pavement Art – a Toddler Trick for outdoors
After a few wet days inside I made it my mission to find something different to do with my toddler outdoors. Pavement art! This is something I grew up doing but most of my friends found it quite foreign and exciting to be allowed to do drawings outside! My daughter just loved the whole idea and was overwhelmed by how much space she had to draw.
Pavement art can turn an ordinary afternoon on its head. All you need is time, a pavement, chalk and your toddler to do it with! Definitely a fun way for your toddler to get fresh air and get creative.
This toddler trick is great for any toddler.
What you need:
- - Chalk (I got my box from the $2 dollar shop)
- - An area of pavement to draw on.
How to play:
- Find an area of pavement outside your house or in a secure park.
- Start by showing your toddler what to do by taking a piece of chalk and drawing on the pavement a simple cat or house or something your toddler will recognise. Talk about the colours and shapes with your toddler while your drawing it.
- Give your toddler a piece of chalk to draw theirs alongside you as you add to your drawing. Younger toddlers might just do scribbles but you will be amazed at what the older toddlers can come up with.
This is also a great trick for when you are out and about with the push chair – leave a packet of chalk in the bottom of your push chair. Coming from a mum with a very active toddler I have found It keeps your toddler on the pavement drawing rather than running off in all directions.
TweetSubscribe
Get our tricks sent to your inbox
Hi I’m Lou from Sydney
____________________________________
I'm a young mum with a passion for coming up with creative ideas to keep my toddler entertained that don’t cost a lot. Other mums and dads seemed to like sharing my ideas and have encouraged me to develop “Toddler Tricks” an online box of great ideas to keep toddlers entertained.
If you read my blog you will see that I also have a passion for food and with a partner who is a personal trainer we are big on getting out and about as a family. I look forward to meeting other parents through this blog and sharing ideas, stories and some funny moments.Recent tricks
Join us on facebook
Our Box Of tricks
Come tweet with us
I posted a new photo to Facebook fb.me/1yfh9ThlO
mmmmmmm Strawberry Yoghurt Ice-blocks!!! So easy to make!! Your toddler will love helping you make them! fb.me/wEn8QCOz