43
Photo
Neighbors | Jessica Harker.Naturalist Marilyn Williams ran the Mill Creek Park's Tales for Tots event at the Ford Nature Center.
Photo
Neighbors | Jessica Harker.Children who attended the Mill Creek Park's Tales for Tots event created bird feeders from recycled material on Jan. 18.
Photo
Neighbors | Jessica Harker.Naturalist Marilyn Williams explained to children gathered at the Tales for Tots event on Jan. 18 how to create an owl bird feeder.
Photo
Neighbors | Jessica Harker.Children and their families gathered at Mill Creek Park's Ford Nature Center for the Tales for Tots event on Jan. 18.
Photo
Neighbors | Jessica Harker.Children gathered at Mill Creek Park's Tales for Tots event were read books about birds by Naturalist Marilyn Williams.
Photo
Neighbors | Jessica Harker.Marilyn Williams, a naturalist with Mill Creek Park, ran the Tales for Tots event where she read a book about local birds to children on Jan. 18.
By JESSICA HARKER
Mill Creek Park hosted its Tales for Tots event on Jan. 18 at the Ford Nature Center for children ages 2-3.
Naturalist Marilyn Williams ran the event, with the theme of winter birds.
“We’re going to talk about how they come in different colors and the different foods they eat and how they find their food,” Williams said.
Four children gathered at the event, where Williams read books to the children and organized crafts.
“I really want kids to explore the outdoors, because we often get stuck inside too much, hopefully it will stay with them throughout their lives,” Williams said.
During the event, Williams read the group gathered two books about local birds.
After reading, children worked on home made bird feeders made from recycled material.
The Mill Creek Park provided the group with half gallon jugs, cut to look like owls, that children painted and then took home to hang outside and fill with sunflower seeds for birds.
Williams also took children to use binoculars to observe the bird feeders at the Ford Nature Center and see what they could identify.
They then went outside and tried to hand feed black chickadees.
Williams taught children about the different types of birds that migrate, as well as the birds that stay through the winter.
“We can help our winter birds by setting up bird feeders but we need to be sure to provide them with food that is good for them that is high in calories and fat and we never give them old doughnuts and other food that they would not find in nature because that’s not healthy for them,” Williams said.
Children also sorted through different seeds, using their fingers as “beaks” to organize the different types.
“Even though its winter and there’s snow out its still a good time to go outside and explore and observe the birds,” Williams said. “Just because its winter doesn’t mean we have to stay inside.”