Family Day Activities

Our guide to keeping the whole family active this Family Day!

SUSTAINABLE ACTIVITIES

Do you often find yourself wishing that crafts were a little more eco-friendly? We know the feeling. Which is why we highly recommend making sustainable bird feeders this Family Day! All you need is some bird seed and materials that you likely already have around the house. Follow our instructions below to make the best winter snack for your local birdies.

Photo by: Fireflies & Mud Pies

Ice Feeder Ornament

Step 1: Fill a small plastic dish or silicone tray with water

Step 2: Pour plenty of birdseed into the tray and mix well

Step 3: Cut two strings of twine or ribbon and tie together at one end. Place the knotted end in the water.

Step 4: Place your dish in the freezer or leave outside to freeze.

Step 5: Once frozen, pop your ornament out of the dish, and hang your feeder on a nearby tree!

Photo by: Fireflies & Mud Pies

Toilet Paper Bird Feeder

Step 1: Spread natural peanut butter onto a toilet paper roll

Step 2: Roll the toilet paper roll in a dish of birdseed, covering completely.

Step 3: Thread a string of twine through the middle of the roll and tie together

Step 4: Hang on a nearby tree, or if you don’t have twine, slide your feed onto a branch!

Photo by: The New York Times

DIY Frozen Suncatcher

Step 1: Get outside and collect some natural ingredients for decorations such as wild berries, leaves, and branches. You can also use natural ingredients you may have in your home like fruit, vegetables, flowers, bird seed, and nuts!

Step 2: Choose your container - You can use plastic lids, paper/plastic plates, pie plates, pans, bowls, silicone molds, cupcake tins, really anything that can hold water! If you’re using anything made of paper, a thin coating of nonstick spray will keep the ice from sticking.

Step 3: Fill your container with boiling water just enough to cover the bottom - this way, the suncatchers freeze faster, aren’t too heavy to hang and are thin enough to allow sunlight to pass through them. Boiling water makes the suncatchers clearer.

Step 4: Get creative! Start placing your natural decorations in the water. If possible, make them in a place that doesn't require them moving to freeze - like outside! This way your ingredients won't shift all over the place. If you'd like to hang them, make sure to place a string in the shape of a loop in the water so that it freezes attached.

Step 5: Leave the suncatcher outside or in the freezer to freeze.

Step 6: Voila! Place them in the sun and watch them glisten. 

GET OUTDOORS



Looking for ways to keep your kids engaged outdoors? Ontario weather can often be unpredictable on Family Day and you can’t always rely on snow. Why not try a winter scavenger hunt that can be used no matter what the forecast is! See our printable worksheet below.