Lockdown Activities

 

While my eldest two are busying themselves on Google Classroom. The youngest of the team is finding herself ‘bored’ more often than normal. The primary school age group seem to speed through their required pieces of work at the speed of light. Some Lockdown activities were needed.

I have been making use of many online resources, maths problems, spelling practise ideas can be found fairly easily. We created a big folder of stuff she can take out and complete at her leisure. On completion of each piece of work we would  photograph it and email it over to her teacher. 

DIY Bird table – Lockdown Activities

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It isn’t just school work, we have also mixed things up a bit. You may have seen her cookie making over on my Facebook page recently and a recipe will appear over the coming weeks. Last week the little lady, the middle boy and myself decided to up our design and technology game a little and built a bird table from scrap bits of wood we found loitering in the garage. 

This was great fun, the two of them happily helped with the drill, electric screwdriver and various saws we used. We measured, cut and worked out angles together until the grand design was finished. We have since received various requests for orders from family and friends. 

While we came up with the plan together, there are plenty of DIY designs online too and various kits available online as well. 

Although the anxiety levels raised slightly as each of them took turns with the electric saws and the thought of needing to attend A & E at present, wasn’t something I was particularly keen on exploring. 

The end result was well and truly worth it as was the genuine sense of achievement from all of us as we stood and admired our handy-work several hours later, after we stocked it up with bird seed, fruit  and fat balls.

It took a few days for the birds to venture onto it. But, as soon as one brave little blackbird took the dip, others followed in numbers. We now have extra allocated jobs restocking it each day. 

DIY Bird Feeder – Lockdown Activities

This in turn has led us onto another activity the little lady and I completed together. I actually purchased a couple of hanging bird feeders recently. The type that has a fat ball and seed like filling in a half coconut shell. These became a garden favourite and were soon emptied. 

So, it appears it isn’t just the kids and I that now require feeding at Dad’s Delicious Dinners Team HQ. We were about to up our cooking game. 

Making a fat type ball of nutritional bird food isn’t as hard as it may seem. 

Firstly we softened some lard in a bowl in the microwave for about 20 seconds. Then using a wooden

spoon we gave the half melted mixture a good stir. This formed it into a thick yogurt like consistency. We then stirred in some sultanas, bird seed and meal worms before pouring it into the empty coconut shell. Finally we carefully placed it in the fridge to set back to a solid again. If you don’t have a coconut shell, you could always use an empty yoghurt pot or a small plastic flower pot or similar and failing that, just mould the mixture into little ball shapes. 

The little lady loved working out what food each bird actually liked and mixing it all together like a little mad science experiment. She was fascinated by how a solid lard block quickly went to a liquid before solidifying again. 

Impromptu Science Lesson – Lockdown Activities

This gave us a few hours of searching online and working out what other things would have the same effect when heated and cooled and yes, Daddy did enjoy dipping banana slices into melted chocolate as soon as she discovered that her remaining easter eggs would have the same result. 

Each day now, we spend a good half an hour or so studying the different types of birds we have in our garden and their feeding habits. 

Biology Lesson – Lockdown Activities

She was especially interested in the two pigeons who were ‘dancing’ together in the middle of the table yesterday. Who would have thought a quick impromptu biology lesson would have been received with fits of giggles to my nine year old as I carefully explained that Mummy and Daddy pidgeon were in fact doing what Mummy and Daddy pigeons do when they want more baby pigeons.

I hope you enjoyed our recent lockdown activities. Don’t forget to follow me on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter