can birds eat gingerbread houses

The winter holidays have now passed. My boys decorated gingerbread houses sometime in November, and since that time they’ve served as holiday decorations. (You can read about all the reasons that making gingerbread houses are great learning fun HERE, and some things I learned as a parent HERE.) At this point, the houses have sat around for a couple of months and we’re ready to let them go.

So what do you do with an old gingerbread house? Well, some families would choose to eat them. For our family with these particular houses, that was not an option. My boys are allergic to some of the ingredients in these houses. In addition, they contain some ingredients we do our best to avoid. We made these gingerbread houses purely as art, not as food. Other families may choose to compost their gingerbread houses. And composting a house is a great way to feed the soil. Either of these options will keep your house out of a landfill.

We chose to put our houses out for the animals to eat. My boys had visions of deer, squirrels, raccoons, mice, voles, and the other critters that share our mountain habitat feasting on their gingerbread houses. “Maybe it’ll be a party like in Bear Snores On,” my 4-year-old whispered to me after putting his house out in the yard, “Maybe all of the animals will have a party in our yard.” It’s fun to imagine.

Well, we didn’t hear any party sounds after we put out the houses, but the next day the houses were all gone. We can only assume that some animals enjoyed a mid-winter sweet treat as they feasted on our gingerbread houses. It may not be as healthy as the pumpkins we shared with the squirrels (see HERE), but it’s fun to offer a bit of our celebration to the animals with whom we share our little piece of the Rockies.

A Mindful Approach to a Simplified Life.

The winter holidays have now passed. Sometime in November, my boys decorated gingerbread houses, which have since been used as holiday décor. (You can read HERE about all the educational benefits of building gingerbread houses, as well as HERE about some parenting lessons I learned.) The houses have been sitting around for a few months now, and we’re prepared to sell them.

For that reason, some families would decide to eat their old gingerbread houses. With these specific houses, that was not an option for our family. Some of the ingredients in these houses cause allergies in my boys. Additionally, they contain some ingredients that we try to stay away from. These gingerbread houses weren’t made for eating; they were made for art. Other families may choose to compost their gingerbread houses. Also, a fantastic method to nourish the soil is to compost a house. Your home will not end up in a landfill if you choose one of these options.

We made the decision to let the animals eat from our houses. My boys saw their gingerbread houses being devoured by deer, squirrels, raccoons, mice, voles, and other creatures that live in our mountainous environment. My 4-year-old put his house outside and whispered to me, “Maybe it’ll be a party like in Bear Snores On. Maybe all of the animals will have a party in our yard.” ” It’s fun to imagine.

After we set the houses outside, we didn’t hear any party noises, but the following day, every single one of the houses had vanished. We can only speculate that some animals feasted on our gingerbread houses, enjoying a sweet treat in the middle of winter. Giving a small portion of our celebration to the creatures we share our small portion of the Rockies with may not be as healthful as the pumpkins we shared with the squirrels (see HERE), but it’s still enjoyable.

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Weve gone a little nuts for birds over here. We throw them birthday parties and decorate edible Christmas trees for them. We set out not only to make something lovely for the animals, but also to get outside and watch and play once we finished our very own gingerbread house. Alright, I won’t lie—this is a big project that is best completed in phases. But for us it was so worth it. It is imperative that my daughter engages in activities that involve working in the wild things’ service. She was able to assist with many aspects of this project, including putting the popcorn and peanut butter on the base, building the peanut fence, and assembling the cardboard house. Other steps might be best for bigger hands.

In order to have a “yard” and to help stabilize the house, we wanted it on a table, so we constructed a larger cardboard base. You most likely won’t need a base if you plan to hang the birdhouse or purchase an already-built one. Edible Decorations for the House.

Build Your Home Unless you purchased a pre-built home, you will have to build your own out of cardboard, graham crackers, gingerbread, or other As I mentioned, I made one out of cardboard. To build the house, I combined tape and hot glue (but only on the inside seams). Complete the Edible House’s decoration This is the part of the project where you can use your imagination and have fun! You can make it as simple or intricate as you like! Here is what I did:

7. If your yard is covered in snow, place popcorn between the fence and the house’s side, and spread peanut butter around the base of the house, leaving space for the pathway leading up to it.

FAQ

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