I am excited to have Leanne from And Away We Go sharing her Spring Bird Feeder post with us. If you are looking for spring or summer crafts to do with your kids, this would be perfect! Leanne is going to be popping by regularly to share kids craft ideas with The Taylor House. Please stop by her awesome blog and say hello!
This is for the Birds
The first day of spring has come and gone and although there is still snow on the ground here in Ontario, warmer weather is definitely on the horizon! Many birds have returned from their winter getaway and are waiting anxiously for the season to bloom!
The importance of providing our winter birds with food through the cold months is well understood, but food shortages are actually possible throughout the year, especially when the weather is unseasonably warm or cold. In the spring, birds thrive on fruit, seeds and whole grains. Large nuts, like peanuts, are not recommended as they may be carried back to the nest and could potentially cause a choking hazard for the young. As the temperature rises it is also important to avoid fats (like the peanut butter in this feeder) which will spoil quickly.
Craft Ideas: Spring Bird Feeder
So, with this information in mind, I decided to work on a simple bird feeder with my little guy this weekend. We started by spreading a small amount of peanut butter on the outside of a toilet paper roll. We then rolled the toilet paper roll in a variety of bird friendly ingredients (cheerios, oats, raisins and dried cranberries). Using bird seed is great for this step, but I knew that Andrew wouldn’t be able to resist sampling the mix, so I wanted to ensure it was safe for him too!
We threaded cheerios and some apple pieces onto a piece of twine and then strung it through the center of the roll. We then hung the feeder in our front yard where we will be able to observe it’s visitors! Once they have finished all of the fruit and oats they will be able to utilize the cardboard and twine for a nest!
This little project is not only a great opportunity to do something fun with your kids, but it provides some fine motor practice (threading) as well as a great chance to learn about and observe nature!
I love this project and Leanne has so many other cool ideas on her blog. Here are a couple of my favorites!
Really impressive. I love this kind of projects. I think this kind of craft ideas will help the kids growth as well helps the birds too. I will try with my kids in this winter. Thanks for sharing. 🙂
This is so great! We are visiting Grandma this weekend and I think we will be making a couple of these!