Cranberry Millet
Spray Garlands
Strings of cranberries and millet sprays feed many different
wild birds, from cedar waxwings to cardinals, and they add
festive color to landscape trees and shrubs. They can even be
twined around a post—just watch out for those squirrels!
Materials:
• One 12 oz bag cranberries
• 10 millet sprays (available at pet
stores)
• 5-6 feet of heavyweight thread
• A blunt-point sewing needle (plastic or metal)
• Red ribbon (Birds can see and are attracted to red!)
Instructions:
1. Thread the needle with a long thread, knotted at the end,
and string the cranberries for as long as you can string
them, being sure to tie the end securely when you are
done
2. Then taking 10-inch pieces of ribbon, tie the millet sprays
to the cranberry strand every 6 inches or so.
3. Hang your garlands. They look very pretty on trees and
birds of all kinds just love them!
Approximate time to complete: 30 minutes
Sources: kidsgardening.org, audubon.org & sciencing.com
Many wild
birds enjoy
eating
orange slices.
Birdseed Pinecones
White pine cones are the easiest to find and use
for these cheerful, easy-to-make ornaments, but any
pinecone will work. They are so pretty and easy to
make.
Materials:
• Dried pinecones
• 1 cup peanut butter or sunflower butter
• ½ cup songbird seed (plus additional seed for
sprinkling)
• A mixing bowl
• Rubber spatula
• Cookie sheet
• Wax paper
• Thin red ribbon
Instructions:
1. Attach a 10" length of ribbon to the top of the
pine cone (a hot glue gun works well for this, but
ask your adult for help!).
2. In a mixing bowl add the peanut butter or
sunflower butter and seed, and mix with the
rubber spatula until combined.
3. Place the
cones on the
wax paper-lined
cookie sheet, and
using a spatula;
liberally cover
them with the
seed mix.
4. Once the
cones are
covered, add
an additional
sprinkling of seed
to their surfaces.
5. Freeze the ornaments until firm and ready to
hang. Store them in a cool place before hanging.
Approximate time to complete: 30 minutes
Off icialKidsMag.com • DECEMBER 2019 • 47
