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One of my favorite things about this time of year is being able to get outdoors more each day. There are so many great teaching opportunities right in your backyard as you play and interact with nature. A simple and fun way to do this is to make a DIY bird feeder with your kids.
Every spring, we have lots of birds that come back to make homes in the trees in our yard. I got the idea to make a homemade bird feeder with Little one morning as we watched the cardinals and robins outside during breakfast. He loves anything related to animals these days so he was on board!
And so because we had such a fun time making ours, I wanted to hop on and share what we did with you all, too! As a bonus, I’ve rounded up a few really great children’s board books about birds that are a perfect way to add some reading to this hands-on activity!
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Kid-Friendly DIY Bird Feeder
Once you have all your supplies, this project can easily be done in about 15 minutes – so it is PERFECT for toddlers and preschoolers. It’s a little bit messy, but easy to clean up and you most likely have all of the supplies (except maybe birdseed) already.
Supplies
- Cardboard toilet paper rolls
- Paper towel rolls will work, too.
- Hole punch
- Peanut Butter
- 4 short(er) sticks
- Bird seed
- We picked up a bag from Wal-Mart, but I’m sure you could find it at a pet store, too.
- String
- Scissors
Directions
- First, collect your supplies. We went on a “hunt” to find the perfect sticks in our backyard before coming back in to build our bird feeders. This was a good way to burn a little energy and get excited about the project we were doing.
- Pour out bird feed into a single layer on your working surface.
- We used a metal pan, but you can use wax paper, aluminum foil, a countertop, etc. Really, any flat surface will work.
- Punch holes in your cardboard paper rolls. You’ll need 2 holes across from one another at the top for the string and 4 holes for the sticks at the bottom for your sticks. I recommend punching about 4 holes together to make a larger opening for your sticks.
- Insert the sticks perpendicular to create a perch for the birds. This is important. Make sure the sticks fit and aren’t too long BEFORE you start adding the bird seed.
- Once you have them how you like, take them back out before covering your feeder.
- Using a knife, spread a thin, even layer of peanut butter on the rolls.
- Make sure it’s just thick enough to hold the bird feed, but not thick enough to get runny in the sun.
- Roll the cardboard rolls in the bird seed.
- It’s a little bit messy, but it’s fun.
- Re-insert the sticks to make a perch for the birds
- Tie your string to the top of the feeders.
- We used 2 pieces of string for each feeder and then tied the two together around our tree branches.
- Tie your feeders to branches in your back yard.
And there you have it – a fun and simple bird feeder that you can make with your kids! To be totally honest, the squirrels ate most of our seeds. (And left the cardboard rolls dangling there in the trees. Those messy squirrels!)
But, we were also able to sprinkle some of the bird seed in the yard and have enjoyed watching the birds pecking around to eat it.
These DIY Bird Feeders are a great way to get out and exploring nature with your kids this summer!
For More Bird Fun – Be Sure to Check out These Books!
No Two Alike, Keith Baker (Board Book)
In My Tree, Sara Gillingham (Board Book)
In My Nest, Sara Gillingham (Board Book)
Hello World! Birds, Jill McDonald (Board Book)
National Geographic Kids Look & Learn: Birds (Board Book)
Hooray for Birds, Lucy Cousins
Additional learning opportunities with this project:
- Have your child recall the steps you took to make the bird feeders.
- Encourage them to draw a picture of what you did or of the bird feeders in the trees.
- Encourage your child to watch for birds outside as you are walking or playing.
- Ask them questions about the birds – what colors are they? What time are there more birds out during the day?
- Have them draw pictures of the birds that they see.
We’re hoping for a summer full of fun and learning around here and this little project was a great way to kick it off!
Great post !!! thanks for sharing
This is such a fun toddler craft. My toddler loves birds so I know he would love doing this and watching the birds come to enjoy the bird seed.
So fun! We are all about animals over here, too!
This is such a fun summer activity!! My girls would have such fun with this!
We really enjoyed it!
I’ve been meaning to do this with my kids!!
It was so much fun!
love projects like this so fun to make for the kids and awesome for the birds, think we will make some soon
come see us at http://shopannies.blogspot.com
They are fun; enjoy!
I am featuring your fun bird feed project on tomorrows OVER THE MOON LINK PARTY which goes live at 5 pm central. Please stop by to see your feature and link up again!
🙂 gwingal
Thank you so much!
What a cute idea! We’ve made similar bird feeders before but I never thought to put the perch in there. We’ve also made some out of stale bagels with honey and birdseed too. So fun. Thanks so much for sharing with us at Love to Learn. Pinned.
Oh I like the idea of using old bagels, too!
Hi Mary Leigh! Even though I no longer have toddlers at home, it’s fun to share great craft ideas like yours! Happily pinning to my Crafts and Sewing, and also to my Animal Friends board for our readers to find {I added a couple of hashtags, too!}. Love making these birdfeeders with pinecones, too.
Glad your birds enjoyed their seed and the squirrels had a fun day “learning…”
Hugs,
Barb 🙂
p.s. I can tell you must be a teacher! I was a DIS aide for 14 years and loved being in the classroom. <3
Thank you so much!! I really appreciate kind words! There are lots of teachers in my family!
Oh this looks easy and so fun! Thanks for sharing! xo
Absolutely – it really is!
So cute! We don’t have a backyard, so no trees, but there’s a sparrow that spends his days chirping in one of our balconies. Your post made me wonder if we could hang a bird feeder there and see if it works.
Thank you for sharing at The Really Crafty Link Party. Pinned.
You totally should; it’s worth a shot!
This is such a cute idea and I love how cost effective it is too. I think Emmett would love seeing the birds!
It is really simple! I bet he would love it!
This literally coulnd’t have come at a more perfect time. My daughter just started asking if we could make a bird feeder, and while it seemed simple, I had no idea where to begin. Thank you, thank you!
Oh, I’m so glad! I hope you all were able to make it!
What fun! I can see this being a great activity with my grandson. I think I’ve seen a similar idea using pine cones, but this looks like the birds get more seed in the deal.
Pine cones are another great option! I’ve never used the though, so not sure how they compare!
What a fun project to do with your kiddos! Thanks for sharing this great idea!
Absolutely; we really enjoyed it!
What a great project to do with the kids this summer! I love the stick perch idea.
Thanks! It was really a lot of fun!
This is a great idea! My husband and older son would love doing this together!
We really enjoyed it! Now to find a way to deter the squirrels!
Cute idea! I’ve done something similar with the kids. It’s very messy but definitely a great way to keep them busy for a while! Visiting from Really Crafty party.
We enjoyed it. Definitely a little bit messy, but we don’t mind that. 🙂