You get a quart milk container (paper) and an egg. The task is to put the egg inside the container, and drop it from a height of some 45 feet in the air (off the top of the school) and have it land on the sidewalk (concrete) without the egg breaking.

Not only does the egg have to survive the fall, but the carton must be decorated/designed. Here comes the reason that it is in the horse section:
Both my teacher and myself have horses. He loves horses, and, when you do things that have horses in it, always grades them higher. I would like to do my design as something horsey, but I don’t have any idea what!

Does anyone know of anything that I could make a milk carton into?

(Examples of last year are things like helicopters, bird baths [the put a paper plate on the top as the bath part, and it acted like a parachute without being an acutal parachute], and random things like that!

~Parachutes are not allowed, nor are packing material on the outside of the container unless it is used as part of the decoration!

Just give ideas of horsey things, and be creative!!

Since then I’ve been reading up on ‘brood parasites’ – that’s what they call these deadbeat mothers who leave it up to other birds to raise their babies. The one most popular in the Americas seems to be the Brown-headed Cowbird which is a pretty big bird in comparison to the sparrow. To help out the sparrow I decided to go into real estate – wild bird real estate that is: bird houses and feeders, plus baths and fountains. This way the sparrow can move in a small holed birdhouse and not worry about a bigger bird coming in and laying its eggs for her to raise. She can bring up her own little sparrows the way nature intended.

But a messy garden does have purpose.

Frankly, if you’re one to admire gardens with lawns clipped like putting greens, this next concept may be tough to get your head around. A not-so-neat garden with lots of layers — brush, leaves and weeds — is a perfect habitat for birds.

Now, I’m not advocating that you want to let your entire garden go into such a state of disrepair that you don’t know where to start when it comes to straightening it. I’m suggesting that you leave a patch of your yard — a back corner near a fence or even an area near some hedges — with that unclipped, just-jumped-out-of-bed- at-10-in-the-morning look.

Birds love to have cover and nesting material. In fact, just this past spring I caught a sparrow taking bits of moss, twigs and dryer lint into a bag of potting mix to make a nice little nest for her babies. If you present birds with the kinds of resources they like, you’re likely to have them stick around your yard.

What’s the advantage? I knew you’d ask that question.

Not only are birds fun to look at, it’s a great source of joy to hear them chatter in the morning and evening, especially if you live in an urban area. It’s nice to be reminded that there is some nature around you even though you’re surrounded by concrete.

Birds are also great for kids to see and nurture. In fact, your kids can be of great help when it comes to making sure that the “messy for the birds” part of the garden retains as many nutrients and minerals as possible. This would be a great “kid” garden because kids wouldn’t have to do a whole lot of work.

Kids can even plant things like purple coneflower and wildflowers to attract birds, bees and butterflies. Columbine is a good choice for a wildlife garden. Choose native plants for your area that won’t require a lot of care. You’ll be advancing native species and cutting back on water at the same time.

Another feature in your bird habitat can be a birdbath. This is something kids can also help take care of because it doesn’t take much time or effort. The one thing you want to remember, though, when setting up a birdbath is to make sure that you put it where there is some shade. Birds like cool water on a hot summer day just like you do and shallow water tends to get hot quickly.

If you’d rather not do a big birdbath, set out a container of water and make sure to change it every day. They’ll naturally do some bathing in it even though it’s also their drinking water. And make sure that container has a good lip on it so that bird feet can grip on to the sides.

In a recent Washington Post article, these five elements were mentioned as being important in setting up a quality bird habitat:

• Food and water sources
• A place to raise their babies
• Protective layers for wildlife like a densely branched shrubs, rock piles and hollow logs
• A sustainable practice of gardening like mulching, composting and getting rid of plants that will invade the habitat
• Keeping cats indoors during bird season

The last suggestion might surprise you even though cats are natural birders. Let me tell you a little story about my late tabby cat, Zeke.

Just after moving to Tidewater, Virginia, I set up hummingbird feeders and planted some petunias nearby. Zeke was the ultimate birder and liked to hunker down behind the potted petunias to see what he could see. One summer, Zeke was so fast that he bagged two hummingbirds. Was I happy about it? Absolutely not but I truly never imagined that he would be so fast that he could take down one hummingbird, let alone two. I kept him inside until the hummingbirds left in September.

You’ll want to make sure that bird baths and feeders are kept clean because birds can become sick quite easily. Having a feeder right by your kid friendly messy garden will keep the birds coming back.

In this area of the garden, weeds rule. Remember, weeds are plants you didn’t anticipate showing up in a particular place. Also, dead trees are great for those insect eating birds and animals. Woodpeckers love them. Plant sunflowers, lamb’s ear and let that crabgrass go wild.

So, go on. Have a messy area of your yard dedicated just to birds and wildlife. You’ll soon be the avian talk of the neighborhood.

The Jurong Bird Park is located in the western area of Singapore, and the pastoral surroundings that it has, adds to the charm of the place. It is more close to an adventure ride, as you move out from your crowded town, which is flashing all of busy lights and is full of masses, to a place which slowly gets quieter and quieter as you pass by the time. Its entrance is just similar to that of Jurassic park but somewhat smaller in size in comparison to the original one. The only difference is that instead of listening to the roars and thundering, you will get the experience of the warmth of the staff of the park, and the echoing chirruping of the different species of birds.

If you are looking for some souvenirs and gifts that you want to take back home as the remembrance of the Jurong Bird Park, souvenir shops are must visits. The gifts that are available here are absolutely original and pretty charming. They are completely inspired by the birds. You can get a wide range of gifts, ranging from a keychain to number of t-shirts. All these gifts will someday remind you of the wonderful time you had spent here at the bird park.

The park truly lives with its birds, there is absolutely no moment of dullness within this landscape that holds lively colors and a fresh mantra of existence. It has different attractions, that interest both the kids and adults, thus is a family oriented place to visit, and for sure these places will entertain you completely.

You indeed get to see the indigenous species of birds of paradise, here at Jurong Bird Park. The major attractions of the bird park also include the Swan Lake, which is the musical turn of events, the parrot paradise and not to forget the pelican cove. Almost bird of every size, shapes and forms, and from all the parts of the world, are displayed here either in large enclosures or habitations. Also some of them are put in open air viewable. You can also try to feed them and make them rest on your hands. This is a true sensory experience that helps you to get a complete insight of the birds and their lifestyles, as to how they live and pass their time.

Peter Joseph enjoys to write about travel, aviation and adventures. To know more about Wildlife Reserves Singapore, Singapore zoo, Jurong Bird Park and Wildlife Singapore visit www.wrs.com.sg