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My Mountain Wild

a montana motherhood & lifestyle blog

January 16, 2020 / DIY, kiddos

Decorating a Winter Feast Tree

winter feast tree

Whenever I have leftover fruit and veggie scraps, I head to my chicken coop and yell “FEAST TIME!” as I scatter the scraps in their coop. The other day my son heard me say this and decided that the chickens shouldn’t be the only ones having a feast on such a cold day. We finally hit below zero temps this week and though the sun was finally peaking out from the clouds, it was still a cold one. So we gathered up some supplies from the kitchen and made a few yummy treats for the forest critters to have their own winter feast tree.

I’m thinking this will have to be a yearly tradition! Perhaps the first day it reaches below zero. Or maybe during the winter solstice? Either way, I know this will not be our last Winter Feast Tree.

Supplies:

  1. peanut butter or sunflower butter
  2. apples
  3. oranges
  4. cranberries
  5. twine
  6. scissors
  7. a yarn needle
  8. bird seed

We had just a tiny bit of bird seed left in our bag so I mixed in some cracked corn I have from the chickens. I had all the supplies ready to go when my son came home from school so he could dive right in.

I helped him slice an old orange up and with the apple we sliced one side and cut up the other side of the apple in chunks.

We never seem to be able to eat the last couple of oranges or apples in a bag before they start to go bad. These old apples and oranges were perfect to feed the animals with!

For the garland:

Tie your twine to a yarn needle and let your child thread cranberries, the slices of oranges, and chunks of apples to make a garland. My son loves making patterns, so he enjoyed counting out the fruit to make a continued pattern for the garland. I made loops on both ends so that it was easier for him to hang in the tree. You can also add on popcorn, raisins, craisins, peanuts, dried apricots etc.

winter feast tree
winter feast tree

For the apple ornaments:

Have your child spread peanut butter on both sides of a slice of apple and coat generously with bird seed. This is messy so I recommend putting down some old newspapers!

He poked a hole at the top of each slice and slid the twine through to make a large loop for hanging.

winter feast tree DIY bird feeder

My camera died before I could take a photo of the finished tree and by the time it charged it was dark outside. The next morning when we went to check on our feast tree, everything had been eaten!! So I suppose our feast tree was a success and our backyard critters were hungry.

We will have to do this again and watch from inside with binoculars to see what animals were munching on our treats!

decorating a winter feast tree for birds and squirrels

Have you ever made DIY bird feeders before? What do your backyard critters seem to like the best? Ours apparently aren’t too picky!

If you enjoyed this post be sure to check out similar content:

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DIY Nature Wall Art Craft

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DIY Nature Collage Sun Catcher

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The highlight of our weekend was definitely being The highlight of our weekend was definitely being able to snuggle and bottle feed these baby lambs❤
They were only a couple days old and so incredibly sweet! Some day we hope to have our own, but for now we will get our baby animal snuggles in at my in-laws. 
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#montanaliving #montanablogger #406life #slowliving #seeksimplicity #babylambs #babyfarmanimals #slowchildhood #farmlife #ranchlife #howwehomeschool #unschooling #folkliving #childhoodunplugged #farmbabies #slowandsimpledays #backtothebasics #babylamb #bottlefedlamb #montanaranch
Liam was practicing with his whip, and I have to s Liam was practicing with his whip, and I have to say, I think Indiana Jones would be proud. 😁
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#childrenofmountains #raisedonfreshair #raisethemoutdoors #raisethemwild #montanablogger
I wasn't going to share this photo because I hones I wasn't going to share this photo because I honestly hate the way I look. My hair is greasy and pulled back, my face puffy, my eyes with mom bags. We had run errands all day and I was ready to go home and plop down on the sofa. But my heart is full looking at this because I know this little boy won't stay little forever. And I'm sure my days of getting him to take a photo with me won't last forever, either. I really do cherish these moments more now than ever before, because I know how fast time flies. 
Even if you don't feel your best, take the picture mama. You won't regret it. ❤
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If I had to chose one thing we can't live without If  I had to chose one thing we can't live without during our homeschool days, it would be our essential oils. 
Anyone else??🙋‍♀️ 🌿
My kiddo has THE hardest time focusing on anything, even when it's just me and him in a room. He is a huge fidgeter, twirling his hair, tapping his pencil, looking at the ceiling, looking outside, wiggling his feet... this is all part of his sensory stuff I have mentioned before. It takes a lot of effort for him to get through a lesson some days, even with plenty of movement breaks and standing instead of sitting or squeezing putty while he listens. 
The one thing that does seem to help a bit is our oils. I am SO happy to have found the Kid Safe line from @planttherapy . [#gifted] We use Hocus Focus in our diffuser almost every day and the Study Time roll-on blend is amazing. (I loove the way this one smells) 
Liam will ask for his oils if he is struggling and I only wish there was this option for kids in the 90s. Liam would definitely be the kid the Dr recommends medicating if he grew up when I did. ☹ I remember the boys that were just like Liam in my class in elementary school. They were always in trouble because they couldn't sit still for hours at a time! Now that I have a boy that would rather climb a tree than sit and do copywork, I get it. 
Do you have a wild child who doesn't want to sit still ? Have you tried essential oils? Tell me your favorite oils/blends ! 

If you're interested in Plant Therapy, head to the link in my bio ! 
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"Thousands of tired, nerve-shaken, over-civilized "Thousands of tired, nerve-shaken, over-civilized people are beginning to find out that going to the mountains is going home; that wildness is a necessity"
- John Muir
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This quote popped into my head the other day and wow, is this relevant to our area this past year. 
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