This eco-friendly DIY project is for the birds.

Now that the pools are closed and the kids are back to school you might be looking for some eco-friendly craft projects for the fall.

This simple DIY requires some adult help but is actually easy for any age child to do. The bird feeder will provide hours of entertainment even after you make it. And you’ll end up with some happy birds!

Listen to my Green Divas DIY podcast segment then continue on for written instructions and video demonstration:

Materials for your DIY bird feeder

Empty bread crumb or rolled oats container with top
Scissors
String
Chop stick (optional)
Decorations (paint, stickers, crayons…)

Watch the video and see below for the written instructions and more tips:

Directions

An adult should do the first two steps because it can be tricky.

1. Take a pair of scissors and cut a small hole in each side of the container for the string to go through

2. Take a pair of scissors and cut and upside down U shape in the front, make sure it’s large enough for the birds to peep their head in. Be sure to have the bottom of the U at least an two inches from the bottom of the container because the bird seed will be stored there. The lower the opening the less food you can put in.

3. Decorate the bird feeder however you like.

4. In the space between the bottom of the container and the opening place the chopstick (for the birds to stand on when eating.

5. Lace the string through one hole and then bring through the other hole from the inside of the container. Do not tie the top yet.

6. Fill with bird seed and place to top back on.

Find a place in your yard for your new DIY bird feeder!

Try to find tree branch the goes pretty far out from the trunk of your tree so the squirrels cannot reach it.

The first time I made this bird feeder I placed it to close to the tree trunk and our squirrel hoped right in and ate all of the food. Luckily, I had more but it scared the birds away. If you have a Shepard hook that also works well because the squirrels cannot climb the pole and lets you put your bird feeder where ever you want in your yard.  

If bear or deer are a problem, consider hanging it from a higher point like a second floor window or some other structure that is higher up but easy for you to get to. Try and place it in a place where you can see it from the house so you can bird watch even when the weather is not perfect.

National Geographic Kids Bird Guide of North America is a great kids bird watching book that you can get for your kids so you can keep track of what you see in the yard. There’s also a great app for very young kids called Mother Earth’s Preschool: Learning Birds—it teaches kids about the most common birds and even plays sound bites of their singing!

If you’ve never bird watched in your backyard, you should you never know what you will find. The strangest thing I’ve seen is a flock of regular birds in my neighborhood with a lost exotic bird in their flock. I see them all the time—a bunch of brown/grey birds with a bright yellowy green bird. They’ve been a flock all year now. Another time when I was working at my dinning room table I kept hearing something hit my window. When I finally saw what it was it was a parakeet trying to fly into my house. It kept “knocking at my door” for three hours. 

What’s the coolest bird you’ve seen in your yard?

For more cool DIY projects, click here.

Bonus:

Listen to the latest Green Divas Radio Show…

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