Bushcraft at home! Make your own Birdfeeders 

A great activity you can do all year round is creating birdfeeders! It’s a fun crafting activity that the kids can get involved in and works well, especially in the winter months.

So where to begin…

There are various types of bird feeders you can make and we are going to run through the different options for everyone’s skill level but most importantly it’s about letting the kids have fun and get excited about the great outdoors.

We are keen not to introduce more plastic into the environment so we will not be using the plastic bottle method. Instead, we will be focusing on using materials found in nature and utilising them in a fun new way.

What you will need
-Bird Seeds
-Optional extras you can add, oats, breadcrumbs, currants and sultanas
-Lard

We recommend one part lard to every two parts of your dry mixture.

We get our kids to make their very own mixture from the ingredients we lay out on the table. This is a fun task if you have more than one child as each one ends up showcasing their creativity.

While the kids are mixing their own recipe of dry ingredients we start melting the lard.

Once the lard is melted we can pour it into the mixing bowls the children have made their food mixture in.

Make sure the dry and wet ingredients are mixed really well and then set aside for them to cool slightly till they are safe to touch.

While waiting for the mixture to cool this is where we can start making our feeders that will hold the food mix for the birds.

This is a really easy way to create a birdfeeder and also provides a snack while you work.

First, slice an orange in half and scoop everything out! (this is where the snack comes in) Tuck in while you work.

Pierce a hole at the top and tie a loop/knot to secure it in place. Do this with all of your orange halves before filling with your cooled down mixture.

Really pack down the mixture in the orange skin to fill it as much as possible. Once done they will need to set. You can leave them for a few days but we like to put them in the fridge overnight.

And you’re done! Super quick and easy, great for little ones to get involved in.

This option is a great activity that starts before you even make the mixture. You can all get outside in the woods and hunt for pine cones in the local area.

Once you have your pine cones, tie your string first to ensure you can hang them on the trees.

Then grab your cooled down the mixture and this is the fun messy part. Fill in all the holes as much as you can.

We want the pine cone completely covered, so the kids can go all out with the mixture.

Then leave them to set, again we recommend popping them in the fridge overnight.

If you bake already at home it’s likely you already have many different shapes and sizes of cookie cutters at home but if not you can pick up a multi-pack off Amazon with lots of variety.

First of all, lay down the chosen cookie cutters on a baking tray. The larger the shape the better as they will be less fiddly when trying to pop them out later.

Fill each of the cutters with as much of the mixture as you can remember to pack it down tightly to fit in as much as possible.

Once the shapes are full add in a paper straw or a stick near the top of the shape and leave them to set. Again we recommend putting them in the fridge overnight to speed up the process.

When your feeders are ready, it’s time to pop them out the cookie cutters. You can also remove your paper straw or twig. This should leave you with a hole that you can then tie your string through.

Time to head out and pop your bird feeders in the trees. It’s likely you have created quite a few so we always suggest putting one or two in the garden so the children can see the birds visiting but also feel free to go on a nature walk and leave them around for the birds in the woods or even local area.

You can also leave a notebook by the window so every time the children see a bird come visit the feeder they can make a note or tally chart.

And there you have it! How to make your own birdfeeders.

Take a look at our other Bushcraft At Home Tips