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Easy Eco-Friendly Bird Feeders to Make with Children

22 Jan 2024
Blog

Attract more birds to your garden with these easy, eco-friendly homemade bird feeder ideas.

Whether you’re taking part in the RSPB’s Big Garden Birdwatch this year or you’re simply keen to see a variety of birds in your garden. Making bird feeders is an easy, cheap and fun activity that you can do at home with your little one.

Check out our four DIY bird feeder ideas below.

Apple Bird Feeder

What you’ll need:

An apple
String
Lard or unsalted peanut butter
Bird seeds or food

How to make:

All you’ll need to do is cut the apple in half, scoop out the core with a spoon and then fill the hole with a mixture of peanut butter or lard and bird seed. Then, you can attach some string to each side of the apple and hang up in a tree.

Orange Peel Bird Feeder

What you’ll need:

An orange
Bird seeds or food
String

How to make:

Simply cut an orange in half and scoop out the innards. Then fill up the orange halves with some bird food and poke some holes into the orange sides so that you can hang it up with some string.

Pinecone bird feeder

What you’ll need:

A pinecone
Bird seeds or food
Lard or unsalted peanut butter
A mixing bowl
String
Scissors

How to make:

To start, make sure that your lard or peanut butter is at room temperature so that it’s easier to mix. Then, spread the lard or peanut butter onto the pinecone, either using a lollipop stick or using your hands. Next, sprinkle over the bird seed so that it sticks to the lard or peanut butter. Finally, add some string to the top of the pine cone and hang this up to a tree or a bush.

Recycled objects bird feeder

What you’ll need:

Milk cartons, yoghurt pots or plastic drinks bottles
Bird seeds or food
String
Scissors

How to make:

Whichever household item you choose for this activity (plastic bottle, milk carton or yogurt pot), all you and your little one will need to do is cut a hole in the side large enough for birds to access the food, but not so that the food falls out. Fill the item up with bird seed and add some string so that you can hang it up from a tree.

Top tip: Make sure to cut a few small holes in the bottom of your item to allow for rainwater to drain away.

Once you have made one (or a couple) of the homemade bird feeders, you can now sit back and watch as more feathered friends make their way into your garden or park!

Encouraging your little one to take an interest in bird watching or caring for animals is a wonderful way to introduce them to wildlife and to teach them about the environment.

Whether this is through creating a bird feeder or simply taking the time to spot birds in your garden or local park, you can turn this into a simple learning activity. Such as, inviting your child to ask questions, listen to the different bird songs or by keeping a tally of how many birds they can spot.

You can download our birdwatching activity sheet here and you can check out some bird themed books from our monthly online children’s book club. We would love to see your creations, so tag us in your photos of your bird feeders on social media.

At our nurseries, we’ve developed a range of bespoke educational programmes that fit within the EYFS framework that are designed to be accessible, flexible and fun.

Our Sow & Grow Programme for example, engages children aged 2-5 years in a range of eco-friendly activities such as growing, nurturing, monitoring and measuring plants, fruits and vegetables. This provides lots of opportunities to teach children at our nurseries not just about plants and lifecycles, but about the planet and how they can be environmentally aware.