Anyone with kids knows it's hard to keep your children busy threw out the summer when they are home. Kids love to be outside, so one thing I like to get my kids to do and it does or can take a little while. I have my kids look for rocks, not bouilders but smaller rocks and the ones that have a flatter side then the other are perfect (you can also use colored sea glass or colored ceramic) The reason it can take a little while for this project is the kids really get into finding rocks they think are cool, you can also let them pick out colored rocks for fisk tanks & use them. Trust me, I have a collection of heart shaped rocks, black rocks, you name it. The purpose for the rocks is to decorate a bird dish for water and/or other animals. Use the bottom of a plant holder, the orange unglazed ceramic kind, the hole in the bottom will be covered up. Once they have finished collecting the rocks let them place them in the way they want them, sides included (the inside sides). Take them back out and try to set them in an order to remember how they were in the bowl,then you cover the entire bowl with plaster, it doesn't have to be a ton because if any of the rocks don't set your going to be covering the dish all over again with a glaze, something animal friendly. Usually you can find that kind of glaze at a craft shop, the plaster you can find at any hardware store or places like Wal Mart. Let the kids set the rocks back in and set for a few hours outside then apply the glaze and you really only want one coating. Once that's dry it's ready to fill with water. For birds you want to set it up higher off the ground, other animals like squirrels can get water safe that way as well. You can also set it on the ground for insects like lady bugs but then you need to add some sand and clean dirt (clean dirt, LOL) plus blades of grass, not a ton but a few is good. The reason for the dirt, sand and grass is because it absorbs some of the water and also gives insects away to get water with out drowning. That's my crafty tip for the day.
Oh well, that's a great idea... I would've thought to just have chained them to a tree then seen how long it took them to figure out how to get lose lol... I'm only KIDDING ... REALLY hehehehe --- I would honestly never chain them to a tree... Although when I was 16 i thought about doing that to my cousin... But's another story lol
