Oranges in the Trees

“What are we doing today at Mimi’s?” This is a question I hear often from Rowan and Eden and also, the neighborhood children. School is finished and summertime activities have begun at Mimi’s house. Warm weather is here and that means bubbles, water balloons, splash pads, science experiments, and more ways to have fun.

Last week, I found instructions on how to make a bird feeder with oranges, granola, popcorn, and peanut butter. You may wonder why I would choose such a sticky and messy activity. The laughter that filled the house and the smiles of Rowan and Eden were great prizes even as we made a huge mess in the kitchen.

Bop had purchased two oranges at the grocery store. One for our project and one to eat. Always being safe first, I cut the orange in the middle which gave a half for each child. With paper towels ready for clean-up and the kids standing where they could see everything happening with our project, we were ready for the activity to begin.

“Mimi, what are you doing? Why do you have an orange?” Five and ¾ years old Rowan spoke first.
“Mimi, orange?” Two years old Eden spoke next.

I began to explain how we would make granola from the ingredients and then, fill the orange halves. But, first I had to scoop the “pulp” out of the orange. What an experience! This particular orange was filled with major pulp. The more I scooped with the spoon, the more juice squirted all over the kitchen counter and onto our clothes and hands.

Giggles started. We all laughed at the mess Mimi was making.

Next, we needed granola bites and popcorn to be ground up a little bit smaller. Bringing out the blender, Rowan immediately asked if he could push the button. Eden knows blenders are loud. “It’s too loud, Mimi.” She spoke before I had plugged in the machine.

“No worries Eden. Rowan can push the button. We’ll cover our ears.” Eden instantly placed her little hands over her ears even though the machine wasn’t turned on yet.

When I added a couple of granola bites to the blender and secured the top, I told Rowan to push the button. He smiled and placed his finger on the pulser. With a few taps, we had granola to mix with the peanut butter.

All ears were uncovered and the blender was put in the sink to wash at a later time. Now we could mix the rest of the ingredients to make our homemade meal for the birds.
Reaching our hands into the bowl, we mushed and squeezed the peanut butter and granola together.

The giggles started as we noticed the icky and gooey mess sticking to our fingers. “Mimi, how are we going to get this stuff off?” Rowan inquired.

Eden looked at me and started to stick a little finger in her mouth so she could taste the bird treats. “Wait, Eden, wait. I’ll get you another snack. This one is for the birds.”
With a grin, she proceeded to wipe her messy fingers on her shirt.

The bird feeder treat was ready to spoon and place in the oranges. Bop had prepared the oranges with teeny holes in each side. We filled the oranges and gave them to Bop to hang in the tree.

A fun and simple, or maybe not so simple, activity that brought laughter and joy. A bit of a mess, but sometimes fun involves making a mess.

Later in the day, after the new bird feeders were filled and hung, Rowan, Eden, and I looked out of the playroom/office window. Downy woodpeckers enjoying the treats we had made for them.

Every day, we look for the birds. We’ve also had bluebirds visiting our homemade feeders.

What a joy to have fun projects! We learn and laugh together. Sometimes we get messy and that’s okay.

Have you enjoyed any homemade creations lately? Share with us. You may inspire others.

Blessings and giggles,
Mimi aka Melissa Henderson

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