Adult Outdoors

Happy National Eat Outside Day! (August 31st)

Taking a break from being inside and sitting in front of our screens can do a lot of good for us. By eating a meal outdoors, you can boost your immune system, release built-up energy, get a dose of vitamin D, and even ease anxieties.

Luckily for us we are having a great weather day! Why don't you grab your family, take advantage of one of the many beautiful outdoor spots Binghamton has to offer, and celebrate this holiday?

You can even participate from your own backyard with a grill-for-dinner night.

Having trouble picking out a menu? Here are some quick, family-friendly recipes that will work great for an outdoor picnic set up:

Link 1

Link 2

You can create bird feeders in all shapes and sizes when you mold them.

You’ll need:

1. Cookie cutters – any shape!

2. 2 packets of flavorless gelatin mix

3. Boiling water

4. Birdseed

5. String or ribbon

6. Straws

Boil as much water as two packets of flavorless gelatin call for. Mix the gelatin together until dissolved.

Add enough bird seed to your gelatin mixture so there is no excess liquid at the bottom of your bowl. Cover a tray with parchment paper and place your cookie cutters on it.

Fill the molds with the birdseed gelatin mixture, one tablespoon at a time. Make sure you are overfilling the molds. as it will help them keep their shape. When completely filled, press down on top of them with parchment paper, to flatten out your shapes.

Stick your straw into the spot where the string will go. Let the molds sit with the straws in them overnight, or until hardened

The next morning, taking the straws out, tie your string through the hole, and you can hang these little feeders anywhere!

Kids will love this project, and if you don’t have a lot of cookie cutters on hand, you can use mason jar lids or anything that will create a mold.

This bird feeder is easy to make, and you most likely have all the materials to make it around the house. A plastic soda bottle and a couple of wooden spoons makes a great bird feeder.

You’ll need:

1. A plastic bottle

2. Wooden spoons

3. Scissors

4. Decorations (optional)

To make this bird feeder, you just have to make holes in the bottle for the spoons and be sure that you angle the spoons downward so that the bird feed will drizzle onto them.

The one we made had two spoons, but the possibilities are endless.

Each geographical location has its own unique set of birds that inhabit it.

When watching:

1. Be observant, using eyes and ears to find birds in all the different habitats. Birds can be found on the ground foraging for food, taking shelter in shrubs or trees, flying across the yard or high up in the sky!

2. Take note of size, shape, colors and patterns, songs and calls, behaviors and habitats of birds.

3. Be aware of repeat observations during your count period. Try not to double-count moving birds in your tallies

Attached to this post is a list of local birds, as well as a sheet that can be printed and filled out in order to track which birds you are seeing.

How many different birds can you find? If you find a bird that you want to know more about, Cornell University has a great site where you can type in a bird species, and it will give you a ton of interesting facts! Check it out at:

All About Birds Cornell

Did you know you can make a great home for a new plant out of a plastic water bottle?

Plastic Bottle Planters:

1. Plastic water bottle - any size will work

2. Ruler

3. Scissors or Xacto knife (be careful!)

4. Small piece of fabric or cheesecloth

5. Rubber bands

6. Paint or other decorations (optional)

1. Mark 1/2 way on the bottle, at cut at the mark (it does not have to be exact, just close to the middle).

2. Take the cap off and use the cloth to cover the mouth of the bottle. Secure the fabric with the rubber band around the neck of the bottle.

*Tip - now would be the time to decorate the inside of the bottle with non-toxic paint! Make sure to let the paint dry before moving on.*

3. Take the top half of the bottle and fill it with dirt about half way up.

4. Take a small plant/seed and put it on top of the dirt. Take more dirt and fill in around the edges. Make sure you have about 1″ of space above the dirt to the top of the container.

5. Put the top 1/2 of the bottle into the bottom 1/2. You can add three or four hole on the bottle, use wire/string to make it into a hanging planter!

What will you plant this spring?

Looking for new trails to bike around in Binghamton?

Looking to start biking?

Check out the links below to websites that share maps of trails you can access to bike about.

Step Outside Bike Trails in Binghamton

Chenango Cycle Trails

Binghamton University Cyclist Resources

Today, July 8th, 2020 is National Blueberry Day! The weather looks a little down today, but HERE is a link for places you can go in the surrounding area to pick blueberries.

Each location has certain rules, availability and times surrounding COVID-19 so be mindful of them.

Getting outside and enjoying this beautiful weather we have upcoming these next few days is a fun and great way to spend time with those you wish to invite. The more you pick the more you have to celebrate.... National Blue Berry Muffin Day on July 11th, 2020! Who doesn't love a warm blueberry muffin in the morning, or the afternoon, or in the evening, or as a midnight snack... lets be honest blueberry muffins are great anytime of day! HERE is a link for "To Die For Blueberry Muffins" ….

Happy Blueberry-ing