By: Robin Ruerhwein
Are you ever looking for a quick craft to do with the kids when they’re bored? I’m always looking out for those kind of ideas and one of the things my boys and I make on a fairly regular basis are pinecone bird feeders. They are so simple to make, but the kids really seem to love making them.
All you need are some pinecones (which is a non-issue for me since I have two huge pine trees in my front yard and there are hundreds of pinecones out there), some string or ribbon, peanut butter and a bag of bird seed – all of which I usually have on hand.
I start by cutting a piece of ribbon (about 18″ long) and in an effort to make it easier on the kids, I put the bird seed and some peanut butter out on a small paper plates like so:
Then just tie the ribbon around the top of the pinecone making a loop out of it (so you can hang it), smear on the peanut butter (fingers work best for this), roll it in bird seed and voila.
You will end up with something that looks like this:
They’re super simple and lots of fun for the kiddos. We made a couple yesterday afternoon and they’re hanging out in our pine tree right now.
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Toilet paper tubes work, too. Plus, you can put together a fun homemade gift for someone with this theme and a bird bingo sheet – see http://traininghappyhearts.blogspot.com/2010/02/works-for-me-wednesday-vol-2-homemade.html for details and printable.
My boys made them in school this week and, because it’s a “peanut free zone”, they used butter instead of peanut butter. Worked just as well!
I’ve also read you can use crisco or lard, for those with nut allergies. The birds need the energy that’s captive in those fats. What a great project…and yours looks much better than mine ever do!