Pinecone Bird Feeder Craft

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We are still in the thick of the COVID-19 pandemic, and are working to keep our kids engaged, active, and getting fresh air in a way that is responsible and safe. As always, during the COVID-19 pandemic, be sure to check in with your state guidelines to be sure you are following rules and acting responsibly. Remind your little ones to give others at least 6 feet of space when outside, to keep hands away from their face, and to wash hands throughly after any outing. It takes extra effort to educate, activate, and be the sole source of social engagement for our kids- but we are up for the challenge!

pinecone bird feeder

Now that it is spring, and we have heard some new bird calls from our windows, Huck and I have been learning about migratory birds. Later this week we hope to visit the Audubon Center trails in our neighborhood  (when it is not as crowded), but Huck was really interested in watching this video in migratory birds.

This week we decided to finally try our hand at making homemade bird feeders from pinecones we collect* when we go outside for exercise and fresh air. We finally saw that the parking lot of one of our favorite locals trails was empty, and decided to look for pinecones on a hike! The parking lots of our trailheads have been too crowded to justify hiking lately, so this felt like an extra sweet treat. I’m not much of an expert birder… or home schooler… or crafter… so I asked Google how to make a bird feeder.

pinecone bird feeder

Supplies:

  • Large Pinecones

  • String

  • Natural Peanut butter with no sugar added

  • Bird seed

1. Tie string to the pinecone, leaving string long enough to tie onto a branch

2. Spread peanut butter into the crevices of the pinecone- we went for a pretty heavy application

3. Roll the peanut butter covered pinecone in a shallow dish of bird seed.

4. Hang that baby up in a shaded tree (to help the peanut butter from melting too quickly), and get ready to creep on the birds that come visit. We get Western Tanagers in our area, and I’m hoping to spy their beautiful colors!

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Well, that’s it I guess! My kids and I learned something new about migratory birds, we had a “purpose” on our hike, keeping everybody interested and excited, and my kitchen somehow got trashed by only birdseeds and peanut butter. I call that a “win”!

Huck has been wearing these lightweight t shirts with UV protection from Reima when we go out to hike. As a parent, I love that these shirts of UV40 protection, and are fast drying. Huck loves how stretchy this shirt is, and thinks it’s SO COOL that it is made from recycled bottles!

pinecone bird feeder

* we had hand sanitizer ready to quickly wash hands after playing in the dirt. When we got home, we left our pinecones in our packs for a few days to help. Although we know the virus lives longest on plastic and steel, we still want to be careful about what we bring into our home or introduce into our system right now.