Teaching kids about nature out of a textbook is rarely fun. For the kids it seems like schoolwork has followed them home. For you it is not the most enjoyable activity, as you are hounding them to read another paragraph.
Whether it’s spring break, summer vacation, or just a spare day, there is a lot of education that can come from bird feeder crafts. Crafts are a hands-on activity, that kids really enjoy. At the same time, you will be teaching them about nature and how to help it thrive.
Start with a bird watching book (field guide) for your area. These are often categorized by state or region. Shop carefully; you want to find a book with great pictures and easy to read information on each bird so you can positively identify the wild birds in your yard and learn about them on the spot.
Now it’s time to do some crafting.
While you may think there is a lot of work involved in such an activity, some bird feeder crafts will take just a minute or two to do.
Simple Bird Feeder Crafts
Build a Bird Feeder from Bread Crusts
You know that bread crust the kids never seem to eat? The birds will. Take the crust and set it flat on the counter. Cut it into pieces that are approximately two inches long. Let your child use a pencil, straw, or something similar to poke a hole through each piece. Let it sit overnight. In the morning, have the child thread a piece of yarn through the hardened bread and help them tie it in a tree. This will become a new feeding location.
Make a Stale Cereal Bird Feeder
Whether you are just getting to the bottom of a box of Cheerios or finding that someone left the box open and they’re stale, the birds will take these off your hands. Thread them onto yarn ropes and hang them out in the yard.
Build a Bird Feeder from Pine Cones
Have a lot of pine cones in the yard? Give them new life as a bird feeder. This one is fun, easy and looks great. Find open pine cones that are on the ground and let your child use a plastic knife to put a little bit of peanut butter on the outer portions. Dunk the peanut-butter covered pine cone in birdseed, tie a string to the top and it’s ready to hang.
Intermediate Bird Feeder Crafts
Make a Bird Feeder from an Egg Carton
Cut the top off an egg carton. Help your child poke holes in the four corners and tie strings through them. Now bring the strings together, in the middle to form a hanging support for the bird feeder. Hang it in a tree, sprinkle bird seed in the lid and watch the birds come to eat.
Build a Bird Feeder from a Soda Bottle
Once you have finished all the soda in one of those two liter, plastic bottles, why not give the bottle a new life? Wash it out and let it dry. Poke a hole on one side of the bottom of the bottle and push a dowel through the hole. Use a pen to mark where it touches the other side. Now poke a hole there, and push the dowel through, so you have a perch on each side of the soda bottle. You need to create two openings just above the perches where the birds will be able to perch on the dowel and pull a little seed or other snack out. Fill the bottle with seed, tie a wire or rope tightly under the lid of the soda bottle, re-cap and hang.
Once you move beyond these simple bird feeder crafts, there are many more advanced bird feeders you can build by purchasing bird feeder kits.
When putting your bird feeder crafts to the test, make sure they are in an area where they are visible from the house windows so you can enjoy watching the birds feast.
Rob Huff and his family have enjoyed attracting wild birds into their yard for many years. This love of watching wild birds has grown into a hobby that the whole family enjoys together. For more information on how to build a bird feeder or attract more wild birds please visit www.a-home-for-wild-birds.com
This is a squirrel proof bird feeder that really works and looks great, too! This pole-mounted feeder has been tested and endorsed by The National Audubon Society. 
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