Easiest DIY Homemade Bird Feeder
Whether you want an outdoor activity on a beautiful spring, summer or autumn day, or you’re stuck inside during the long winter months, there is nothing better than bringing nature inside and to being able to enjoy the outdoors from your window, with a DIY bird feeder made with a pinecone or toilet paper roll, peanut butter or any seed butter, nuts or fresh or dried fruits you have on hand at home.
Living in Minnesota when winter lasts from October through April, I need to find ways to engage with nature even when it is -20 F. Our homemade feeders, from he first day they were out, have attracted woodpeckers, black capped chickadees, blue birds, cardinals, sparrows, robins and other backyard birds. Better yet, this style bird feeder has so far been inaccessible to squirrels as they have come near but not been able to reach or hang on to the simple homemade feeder. Make your DIY bird seed feeder in less than 5 minutes!
Scroll Down for Detailed Instructions.
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Easiest Homemade DIY Bird Feeder
Want the easiest DIY homemade bird feeder? Use a paper towel roll, toilet paper roll, pinecone or any piece of cardboard, and many options of household pantry items like peanut or seed butter and bird seed, sunflower seed or household pantry items like cashews and raisins (or almost any dried fruit, seed, nut or whole grain)!
Materials:
Base: Toilet paper roll, paper towel roll, pine cone or any piece of cardboard.
String: Yarn, ribbon, twine, fishing line, embroidery floss, wire, etc.
Adhesive: Peanut butter, sunflower butter, almond Butter, or any unsweetened, unsalted nut/seed butter.
Food: Unsalted, unsweetened nuts, seeds, freeze dried fruit or even whole grains (see list below):
Raw, unsalted, unsweetened nuts or seeds:
Cashews
Sunflower seeds (shelled or unshelled)
Peanuts
Almonds
Walnut
Pecan
Brazil nuts
Macadamia nuts
Pistachio
Sesame seeds
Hemp seeds
Chia seeds
Alfalfa
Raw, unsalted whole grains:
Oats
Buckwheat
Millet
Quinoa
Barley
Rye
Cooked white or brown rice
Unsweetened, freeze-dried fruit with no additives:
Raisins
Cranberries
Currants
Blueberries
Apples
Strawberries
Apricot
Banana
Mango
Nectarine
Orange
Papaya
Peach
Pear
Pineapple
Any bird seed mix (without thistle seed since this will lead to thistle growing in your lawn!)
Instructions:
Away from children, use sharp knife and cutting board to chop nuts, seeds, whole grains or fruit into small pieces.
Find base: pinecone, toilet paper rill, paper towel roll or piece of cardboard cut into any shape.
If using piece of cardboard, poke hole in top center.
On large plate or tray, help your child use butter knife, plastic knife or spoon to smear nut/seed butter evenly over base.
Consider mixing in more oil to base if the nut/seed butter is too thick and not spreadable.
Mix and spread finely chopped nuts, seeds, whole grains or fruit on large plate or tray.
Please remember to use unsalted, unsweetened nuts, seeds and fruits to avoiding harming birds.
5. Help your child roll the base in the food multure until evenly coated.
6. Tie string to hang feeder to tree branch or outdoor hook.
Toilet paper (paper towe)l roll: Thread string through center pf roll, leaving enough extra string to tie and hang horizontally from branch or hook.
Pine cone: Tie string tightly around top grooves of pine with double (square) knot and then tie another knot to make a loop to hang from branch or hook.
Piece of cardboard: Thread string through hole and tie knot to form loop to hang from branch or hook.
If you have the base of an empty bird seed bell (see below and my own toilet paper roll feeder base), simply place the toilet paper roll on the base. This is a great lesson in the three R’s: Reduce, reuse, recycle
Want to teach early childhood learning skills in just minutes a day?
Enjoy simple questions, conversation starters and no prep activities to teach preschool math, STEM, sight words, literacy, character education and more in just minutes a day throughout your daily routine.
You can connect and learn with your 2, 3, 4 or 5 year old child and prepare toddlers and young kids for preschool and kindergarten in just minutes a day.
Want 1,000+ No Prep Printable Learning Activities?
Download preschool printables to teach every kindergarten readiness skill: 25 math, 25 ELA, 15 Social Emotional Learning (SEL Character Education), 6 science and 6 social studies skills that children need to master for preschool and kindergarten readiness.
Enjoy printable worksheets, no prep play-based activities and instructional video QR codes for educational alternatives to screen time.
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Since this curriculum covers every preschool and kindergarten readiness math, science, social studies, reading, writing, language and literacy standard, pick and choose activities based on your child’s skill level and consider checking off the ones you complete.
Want free virtual library story times and sing alongs or preschool circle time videos?
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Want free virtual library story times and sing alongs or preschool circle time videos? Enjoy 6 children's book read aloud and 6 fingeryplay nursery rhymes in each of my 20-minute learning videos for babies, toddlers or preschoolers to learn letter sounds, rhyming, numbers, counting, colors, shapes, social emotional learning, character education and more! Enjoy videos for free learning activities for early learning activities for parents or homeschool preschool curriculum.
Don’t wait, try the easiest DIY homemade bird feeder using a paper towel roll, toilet paper roll, pinecone or any piece of cardboard, and many options of household pantry items like peanut or seed butter and bird seed, sunflower seed or household pantry items like cashews and raisins (or almost any dried fruit, seed, nut or whole grain)!