Although it can be handy having some birds in your garden as your veggies grow, there are other times when they can be a real pain.
A scarecrow can be the ideal thing to keep watch – and can be a fun thing to get the children helping with.
Here’s what you’ll need to make it happen:
• 1 x bamboo cane or stick around 2m in length
• 1 x bamboo cane or stick about 1m in length
• 1 x bamboo cane or stick about 30cm in length
• Very old clothes – pants, jumper or shirt, hat
• An old pair of tights
• Old string
First, tie the 1m pole about 15cm from the end of the longer 2m bamboo pole.
The shorter 30cm one should then be tied halfway down.
This is the basic frame of your scarecrow.
Cut one leg from the tights and fill with straw or dried leaves.
This should be formed into a round head shape.
A piece of string should be tied to keep the filling inside.
Now get your kids to paint the face of the scarecrow.
Once dry, fasten to the top of the frame.
The shirt or sweater should be fastened over the top cross pole and the ends of the sleeves tied.
This can now be filled with straw or dried leaves.
The pants should now be fastened to the lower cross and the bottoms of the legs tied to prevent any stuffing from falling out.
Your kids can choose any character they wish for the scarecrow.
An old hat or tie can be added as required to finish off the scarecrow and keep those pesky birds away.
For more fun ideas for your garden, check out www.yardandgardenguru.com