Today we went to Nature Nuts through Elkhart County Parks. Krista always does a great job sharing nature with the kids. We talked about Natural Ornaments and cones. While the classes are always geared toward the children, I always learn things as well and Krista is willing to answer questions we have about nature in the area. I made several notes in my little journal.
Of course we needed to make the classic peanut butter on a pinecone rolled in birdseed. I wonder what type of birds will visit. Nice to see a fellow Indiana Master Naturalist classmate, Patricia Frank. She's an active birder. Loved hearing about her birds and feeders today.
The children also took scoops of suet out to leave for the birds and squirrels. Here is a recipe tutorial for suet. This link had several different combinations and gourmet versions. There was such a variety of birds at the feeders this morning! Krista said the red breasted nuthatch visits often.
Margaret from Goshen Library is an avid bird lover too, as evidenced by her cardinal earrings, shirt, and puppets. She's a natural with children--I'm sure she has great story times at the library too.
Later, we searched for cones (pine and otherwise) outside. Isn't this a perfect little spot for children to congregate in the trees? There were many pinecones "cached" here previously by little hands for new little hands to find!