Wildlife Tree for Patio/Deck
 Birds Love it!
Children invitation:
Come and join the fun at (garden center)! We will be creating a living wildlife habitat that you and your family can enjoy over the holidays. Place it on your deck or patio and then see who drops by for breakfast each morning. As the season progresses, you will be able to plant the tree in your yard and watch it mature into a full sized eco-friendly condo complex. It will be great fun, so join us (on this date) and let’s get connected with nature.
Details:
- Age Group: 7 through 12 years old and must be accompanied by an adult.
- Sign up sheet available two or three weeks before event, limited to twenty per group, if space allows. You could do multiple groups as per demand. Child’s name, age and phone numbers are needed on the sign up sheet so you can call and remind them; that way you can adjust your needs if they have a change of plans.
# Time line per session: 30 to 45 minutes per session.
- A state wildlife professional or a volunteer with a wildlife or bird background would be a plus to provide information on what kinds of foods might attract certain kinds of wildlife to the tree. Contact your volunteer as soon as possible and keep in touch with him or her. Make sure the volunteer has some input into what materials you have on hand.
Funding the Event:
It’s your call; you could charge a minimal amount, in order to give people the desire to follow through. Charging up front is even a stronger message of commitment. You will have to decide what it is worth to have parents in your store for 30 to 45 minutes and then taking a fun project home for the family to enjoy. This is an activity of good will and not a mega profit center, so whatever you choose; be wise and just cover some of your expenses.
Materials and equipment required for hosting a successful event:
- Kids! You will have to have them to make this work!
- Date: Remember to plan wisely; look at football schedules, winter school breaks and others that may conflict.
- You will need to have trees on-hand. What size? 5 gallon is probably the correct size. Examples: flowering crabapple, redbud, pines etc.
- This late in the fall, you will most likely have some carryovers that might be at a deep discount. You will want to make sure you are not just dumping some bad material. Remember it’s for your customers.
- Hand clippers to clean up any branches that are damaged or crossing.
- 1-2 folding tables
- Books on attracting wildlife (for sale of course)
- Paper towels
- Poster or banner promoting O2 Planting for the Future (would be nice)
- Ribbons in Christmas colors such as, red, green, silver and white.
- Yarns, same color pallet, to attach items to the tree
- Copper wire and wire cutter
- Small to medium pine cones
- Fruit such as oranges and apples
- 1/8th inch dowel rods cut to 8”, three or four per person.
- Corn on the cob
- Dried Fruit
- Darning needle and very fine wire to string dried fruit
- Peanut butter
- Birdseed (mixed)
- Small boxes to put decorations in to transport home, cardboard trays or bedding plant boxes
- Kitchen knives and a cutting board or two
- A recycled container the same size as the tree container so the project tree can be placed inside. Suggest rocks or bricks in the bottom to help secure the tree from the wind and also aid in keeping the patio and or deck clean.
This is a good start for the project. I know you will have other ideas and materials to add to this list.
How to layout the project:
- Gather all the materials into one area, and set up the trees near the tables so they relate to the work.
- Discuss the project and what the project is to accomplish.
- Discuss which elements will attract which species of wildlife to the site.
- Begin with identifying the types of trees you will be working with; pruning can be done at this time also.
- Add the decorative ribbons to the tree by tying them to the branches.
- Start with one element at a time and work until complete.
- As they complete elements, have them place them in their boxes.
- Cut oranges and apples into halves and use a dowel stick for a perch. Use copper wire to make a loop for the yarn to be tied. Kids can tie the yarn to the tree at home.
- Wire a few pieces of dried fruit together with a loop at the top for yarn to be attached.
- Use the fine wire to attach the yarn to the corn on the cob.
- Tie a long piece of yarn to a pinecone and spread peanut butter into the layers. Once you have it covered with peanut butter, dip it into a bowl containing birdseed. Set pinecones into their boxes to be applied to the tree when it is on the patio/deck.
- Let the children know that they can reload the tree during the season as their guests deplete the treats.
- A handout would be a bonus; you could print off some information about backyard habitats, which is easy to find on the Internet. Most states and or state universities have sites that address the issue of wildlife habitat development.
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