Max loves getting outside and learning about nature - a trip to feed the ducks is one of our favourite activities. He loves scattering the seed and watching the ducks all come flocking over - his face just lights up (although he does have a tendency to get overexcited and shout “duck!” at them!).

I’ve been spending more and more time with him in the garden lately, learning about the different plants and wildlife that we can see. I like to keep our garden bird-friendly by not dead-heading some of the roses, and not cutting down grasses until late winter, but putting out bird seed is a great way to supplement the food that they can find in the garden, keeping them well nourished through the winter.

When we were contacted by Boxwild, an online bird seed shop and subscription service, I knew this would be right up Max’s street, and a lovely activity to fill an afternoon. Boxwild sent us the Winter Bird Seed Gift Box, which would be the perfect gift for any bird lovers this Christmas. It contains 3 hand blended mixes of bird seed: the Robin Seed Blend, the Winter Bird Seed Blend, the Boxwild Seed Blend, and a little metal scoop. It’s approximately 1kg of bird seed, so should see you and your birds through the winter.

 

 

We made the most of the autumn sunshine we’ve had lately and headed out into the garden so that Max could fill up his bird feeder. He chose the Robin Bird Seed Blend, especially for our little robin friend, and spent ages using the scoop to carefully fill up the feeder. Seriously, if you have a 3 year old, this is a great activity for them. He was so careful with it, so it actually took ages - just look at that look of concentration on his face!

 

 

Once our feeder was finally full, we hung it high up, and headed into the house to see if the birds came. It was a lovely learning activity for Max - he brought down his bird book, and we read through it, wondering which birds we might see (Max was hoping for an eagle and a puffin - I had to tone down his expectations somewhat). Sure enough, our little robin was there soon enough, along with a rather chunky looking blue tit, although they were quick to fly away when they heard Max’s shrieks of excitement! He’s started to learn that he needs to be a bit quieter if he wants the birds to hang around.

I can’t recommend feeding the birds enough as a way to encourage your children to learn about wildlife. It’s such a simple thing, but so often it’s the simple things that really spark their interest, and it’s an activity that keeps giving once the bird feeder is full. I often seem to find Max lingering at our back door, watching for birds!

 

 

Boxwild are a local company to us in Surrey, and I love that their seed blends are carefully planned - the Winter Seed Blend, for example, uses a higher fat content which the birds need to keep up their energy and strength in the winter months. They also donate 50p per box sold to UK wildlife charities to help support UK wildlife in every possible way.

If you have a bird lover in your family, a Boxwild box set would make a wonderful Christmas gift. They have a great range of gift boxes available which you can browse on their website.

 

The Winter Bird Seed Gift Box costs £18.00 and is available from Boxwild

 

Disclosure: We were kindly sent the Winter Bird Seed Gift Box by Boxwild in return for this blog post