This recycled shoebox lid bird feeder is adorable and so easy to make! It’s a great nature craft for kids of all ages and looks so cute when finished. This craft may only take about 10 minutes, but it will inspire hours of indoor and outdoor bird watching for your little ones!
Making a bird feeder with kids is a great way to teach children about caring for nature and how to identify local birds!
Turns out a shoebox lid makes the perfect eco-friendly bird feeder! Birds can perch right on lid, they are easy to work with and the design options are endless.
Ready to welcome back your feathered friends this spring?! Here’s what you’ll need..
Supplies:
- Shoebox lid
- Markers
- Bird Seed
- Peanut Butter or try PEANUT FREE Sunbutter
- Hole Puncher
- Twine
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RELATED: Check out Bird Seed Sweep Fine Motor Activity
Here’s What We Did:
Step 1:
First find a cardboard box lid, draw a simple bird outline on it, make a beak and stick on a googly eye. We used the same shoebox lid from the Bird Seed Sweep activity! I set out the peanut butter and bird seed so it was ready to go.
Step 2:
Put a thin layer of peanut butter on the bird. Your children might need a little help with this step depending upon their ages. It’s okay if the peanut butter gets on the googly eye because it will wipe right off!
If you can’t use peanut butter due to allergies, you can just sweep the bird seed on the bird and keep it loose. The birds won’t mind! OR you can try PEANUT FREE Sunbutter.
Step 3:
Sprinkle the bird seed on the peanut butter. This step is easy for kids of all ages. My four year old started by picking out a few pieces of bird seed at a time and gently placing it on the peanut butter. This was great fine motor and hand-eye coordination practice.
But it quickly turned into a bird seed free for all with bird seed sprinkled everywhere inside the box! You can easily shake off the excess bird seed or just keep it on the tray.
Step 4:
Now it’s time to turn the shoebox lid into a bird feeder! I punched one hole on each side of the shoe box and tied twine through holes, as pictured below. Make sure to tie it on the branch to keep it secure. You will want to bring this in on rainy or really windy days.
Pick a great spot to put your homemade bird feeder! We found a nice spot right outside our front window so the boys could take a peek when we were inside. They’ve also asked to go outside multiple times to get a closer look at the birds and to check out how much bird seed has been eaten!
Pin this activity to save it for later!
I hope you give this adorable activity a try! I promise, your little nature lovers will love it as much as my boys.
∼Tara
