Christmas Eve in our house holds many different traditions. From the dinner we eat to the bedtime books that we read...even now that my children are grown we still read T'was the Night Before Christmas together. Another tradition we love is setting out milk and cookies for Santa and a carrot for the reindeer. However, in recent years we have added tossing reindeer food on our front lawn to our Christmas Eve. You know I love a good reindeer activity and reindeer craft, and these cute little reindeer jars filled with this reindeer food that is safe for birds and other wildlife are fun to make and share.
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Tossing reindeer food on the lawn first became a popular activity about 20 years ago. Unfortunately, the idea was that kids would throw glitter in the yard - as a way to attract the reindeer. But, we now know that glitter is a microplastic and that if birds and animals eat glitter it can be harmful to their little digestive systems. This is why it's very important to avoid glitter in reindeer food and make your reindeer food wildlife-safe.
No artificial sweeteners! It is very important that you avoid anything with artificial sweeteners - specifically xylitol. This artificial sweetener is extremely toxic to dogs and must be avoided in your reindeer food. It can sometimes be found in sugar-free candies, like cake sprinkles.
Reindeer Food Recipe Safe for Birds
1 cup birdseed
½ cup oats
½ cup dried blueberries (currants, strawberries)
½ cup fresh cranberries
½ cup chopped apple
small mason jar
2 brown pipe cleaners per jar
googly eyes - self-adhesive eyes
black and red pompom
double sided tape
How to Make Reindeer Food
Okay, let's start with mixing up a big bowl of reindeer food. Now, I doubt very much that any reindeer will end up eating this food, it is much more likely birds, squirrels, and raccoons (and maybe a rat or two) will eat this. So, select birdseed from your bulk store, grocery store, or garden center that is specifically for wild birds that live in your area. Different parts of the world, countries, and even states will have different birds and birdseed. Pour a cup of your birdseed in a large bowl.
Next, add some oats. Reindeer love oats. And, oats are safe for birds and other wildlife to eat. As with each of the items in our reindeer food, please make sure there is no sugar in your oats. Raw, rolled oats are best. Dump the oats into the bowl.
Next up are the dried fruits. Again, stick with unsweetened fruit. I added dried cranberries, dried blueberries, and dried currants to ours. Please don't use raisins as grapes and raisins can be poisonous to dogs and small animals.
I've also added some fresh cranberries and chopped apples because I like the color they bring to the mix and birds love fresh cranberries!
While some reindeer food recipes will include adding cake sprinkles to the mix, this isn't a great idea due to the food coloring used. Certain food colors can be harmful to birds and small animals. Best to get your color from the cranberries and apples.
Small Reindeer Jar Craft
Okay, now let's make the little jar. In the past, we made large reindeer mason jars that were filled with reindeer noses (aka chocolate balls). I have a collection of little jam jars and small mason jars to work with. You need something with a tightly sealed lid. Twist together 2 brown pipe cleaners and wrap them around the lid, or the mouth, of the jar.
Cut two small pieces of pipe cleaner. Wrap these pieces around the end of the pipe cleaners to make the details in your antlers. Use the double-sided tape to adhere the base of the antlers to the sides of the lid, in a spot that you like.
Now use the self-adhesive googly eyes to adhere the eyes to the front of the jar. If you don't have sticker eyes, go ahead and use a piece of double-sided tape to secure them in place. The key is we want this to be easily taken off when we are done with the reindeer food, so we can keep using our jars. Do the same with the reindeer nose. Decide if your jar is a red-nosed Rudolph jar or a black-nosed Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, etc jar.
Fill your little jar with the reindeer food mixture. It's best to make this food up a day or two ahead of when you intend to use it. Store it in a tightly sealed container (like our reindeer jars) and keep it refrigerated until you're ready to toss.
These jars of reindeer food make a lovely gift for the young children in your life. Be sure to explain the food should be tossed onto the lawn, where Santa might park the sleigh and the reindeer can enjoy a little snack while Santa gets to work delivering his gifts to you. Also, explain how this is also a lovely treat for all the little critters that visit your yard.
I hope you've enjoyed this little nature-inspired Christmas activity. I love the idea of all the little birds and animals having a nice Christmas Eve treat thanks to our jars of reindeer food.
More reindeer activities for kids
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[…] Food – While this isn’t a game, it is a fun reindeer activity for the kids. Make up a batch of reindeer food that is safe for birds and wildlife. And, make your own little mason jar reindeer to keep it […]