MJ was inspired by the Scott Naturals challenge we took in April for Earth month. We emphasized the reuse of certain items, so he decided that he would keep our toilet paper rolls for a fun craft. We were going to try to grow seedlings in them but never got around to it. At the store, I saw a little bag of bird seed and thought it might be a good idea to make a homemade bird feeder. We have a ton of little wild birds that fly around our house who will definitely benefit. This is an affordable and easy craft for kids that turned out to be fun!
Make It!
What you’ll need:
- Toilet Paper Rolls
- Sturdy sticks, 2 per roll, 6-8 inches long
- Bird seed
- Peanut Butter
- String or ribbon
- A Hole Punch
1. Punch 2 holes in one side of the toilet paper roll, aligning them evenly across from each other. This will be used to tie the string for hanging.
2. Punch 4 holes into the opposite end of the toilet paper roll, align them evenly. This is for the sticks that the birds will perch on. Try to put one set a little higher than the other so the sticks can be pushed through without issue.
3. Insert the 2 sticks into each hole, going in one side and out the other in the corresponding hole. Wiggle and push in sticks gently, you don’t want the holes to rip or get too loose. The sticks might fall out!
4. Center each stick, they should be crossing each other like an intersection and should stick out enough for a bird to perch on.
5. Next, holding the lower part of the feeder below the sticks, you’ll spread a light layer of peanut butter on the upper part of the toilet paper roll and cover in bird seed. We used the back of a spoon to slather on the peanut butter and pressed in the bird seed all around it. Careful not to cover your holes at the top, you’ll clog them with peanut butter and you need them for the next step!
6. Cut string to your desired length. Tie your string to the top of the bird feeder through the two holes you cut in step 1 to make it hangable. Now you are ready to hang your homemade bird feeder and admire!
I love this! It would be a great project to teach my son about nature. Altho he’s too young yet to do it, I’ll have to try this when he’s older.
My 4 year old would love to make this! I love that she can also see cause and effect, she made, hung it and and that made the birds come!
Cute idea! I will definitely have to try this next summer with my kiddos!
This is a great idea. I am sure you won’t have to wait long for the birds! Please stop by and link this post to the first ever Artsy Play Wednesday on Capri + 3. It is a new linky for posts about arts, crafts and play activities. I hope to see you there.
: 0 ) Theresa
Any suggestions for a peanut butter free bird feeder? (peanut allergy son)
How about honey instead of peanut butter, or hazelnut butter…
You can also use vegetable shortening (Crisco) for the seeds to stick, nut free