Simple eco-friendly outdoor activity for kids using oranges, peanut butter, and bird seed!
As the weather starts to warm up a bit, it’s nice to see birds returning to my back yard. Now is the perfect time to make a little outdoor craft with eco-friendly materials that’s simple for kids! This DIY Bird Feeder craft for kids is not only fun but also incredibly easy to make with only 4 ingredients! I really love this sustainable craft for kids!
Supplies
- Large Oranges – each orange will make 2 DIY bird feeders
- Peanut Butter – I used a natural no sugar added peanut butter
- Bird Seed – Any kind you prefer
- Twine or Thin Rope
Try This Peanut Butter Trick For Your Orange Bird Feeder Craft
If you buy all natural peanut butter, you’ve noticed how the oil separates and makes a HUGE mess when you try to stir it. I found this ingenious hack from LillyChilders.com on how to mix your natural peanut butter without getting mad or making a mess!
Try storing your peanut butter upside down. This allows the oils to move to the bottom of the container where the peanut butter tends to be dryer. When you’re ready to use it, pop the peanut butter container in a bowl of warm water for a few minutes and stir with ease! Find the full tutorial here!
I love finding sustainable crafts for kids! What other eco-friendly crafts have you tried? Drop a comment at the bottom of this post!
How to Make An Eco-Friendly DIY Bird Feeder Out Of Oranges
Step 1. Cut an orange in half and scoop out the inside fruit. You only need the orange peel for this amazing and fun bird feeder craft! Make sure you are gentle when you are scooping. You don’t want to put any holes in your orange peel.
Step 2. Use a knife or a skewer to poke 2 holes in the orange peel. Make sure your holes are directly across from each other and about an inch down from the top of the orange.
Step 3.. Cut your twine into 12-18 inch pieces. Gently poke the end of the twine through the hole created in the orange in step 2 and make a knot on the outside of the orange so that the twine stays in place when you hang your DIY bird feeder craft. Repeat with the other side of your twine in the remaining hole on the opposite side of your orange. Your oranges should look like this!
Step 4. In a separate bowl combine 1 cup of bird seed with a hearty tablespoon scoop of peanut butter. Stir until well combined. Your mixture should be well mixed and not dry. I like to compare the mixture to FLOAM, you know the slime with foam beads that makes a great kids’ activity! When you scoop the mixture, it should hold together!
Step 5. Scoop your seed/peanut butter mixture into your DIY orange bird feeders. I let my kids do this part outside and they loved it! Yes, it was a little messy but that’s why we were outside right?!? Plus, the birds will clean up any seeds that fall on the ground. Don’t worry!
Step 6. Find a nice branch to hang your Eco friendly bird feeder and wait for all the little birds in your neighborhood to find it. This really is a fun bird feeder craft for kids!
What To Do With Your Orange Insides – Teaching Kids How To Not Waste!
There are so many ways to use every single part of the orange for this craft. We are using the outside to make a beautiful and sustainable bird feeder with our kids but what should you do with the inside of the orange once it is scooped out? PLEASE what ever you do, do not throw away the fruit on the inside of the orange! It’s yummy and juicy and full of good vitamins.
I used the orange innards in a smoothie, and it was delicious. You can also simply slice it up for a great after school snack, put the oranges on top of yogurt for a healthy breakfast, or make orange juice. So many options. Use this as an opportunity to teach your kids how not to waste food!
Other DIY Bird Feeder Ideas For Kids
- Pine cones, peanut butter, and seeds.
- Toilet paper roll, peanut butter and seeds like THIS ONE we did a few years ago!
- Bird seed ornaments – try this tutorial!
When will you try this eco-friendly bird feeder craft for kids?!
Helpful Tips
- Have a peanut allergy? You can omit the peanut butter all together if you’d like and simply fill the orange with dry bird food. I’ve even seen someone use a coconut husk! I mean if you’re down in Florida a coconut may be the way to go!
- It is best to use bird feeders during the winter months when food is more scarce for animals. Try making this DIY bird craft in October – April to give the birds a yummy winter treat.
- If you have larger birds in your neighborhood, you may find that they are too big to land of your DIY orange bird feeder. Since I wanted to include all the birds in my neighborhood, I decided to place a few orange bird feeders on the ground so the larger birds could enjoy a snack too.😜
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