For the Birds – The DIY Bird Feeder

This weekend I was looking for a fun project for my Sunday school class, something simple that would illustrate the concept of caring for nature. I came across this great project for kids, creating a bird feeder using a cardboard tube, peanut butter and bird seed. The photo on Pinterest looks like this:

It was very inexpensive as well. For ten kids, we used five cardboard tubes from paper towels that I had saved and cut in half, one 16-ounce jar of peanut butter, and a bit of bird seed. (I bought a five-pound bag at the grocery store for $1.99.)

First we covered the tables with newspaper, because the project gets a bit messy. Then the kids used plastic knives to cover their tubes with peanut butter.

Next, they rolled the tubes in bird seed, which I had poured into aluminum pans.

And then they were ready to hang!

They just slip right over a branch. A very easy project, and the birds in our yard took right to them.

One thing worth mentioning though: The tubes do turn soft under the peanut butter, so you need to put them out on the branches ASAP. It may not be as pretty as one of those store-bought feeders that looks like a gazebo, but the whole thing is biodegradable, so once you put it out, all you have to do is watch.