Recycled Carton Bird Feeders

Well it is May already and I don't know about you but I am really enjoying the slightly warmer weather! Its refreshing being able to get outdoors without lots of layers! We have taken to the garden most evenings now the lighter nights are here! We have been enjoying lots of games and of course the garden tidy up ready for Summer. We have been looking at different areas where the children can leave their mark. 

I love nothing more than children's creations and so today I am sharing with you some beautiful coloured carton bird feeders we have made to help our garden birds that visit a few times each day.

I purchased a bird feeding station a couple of years ago. I have always kept the feeders topped up. (In fact I must make a confession) - its my daughter who actively says when they need refilling and off she trots to the bird food and starts pouring in the food. Lots end up on the floor which pleases the pigeons as you can imagine, but I really like encouraging her to look after and help nature. 

The feeders don't last forever, even the ones I brought last year are beginning to look tired now so I have been saving some empty cartons aside ready for my daughter to create her own bird feeders. It's an activity I knew she would really enjoy as she is so committed to helping the birds we see coming to our station. 

I had a little prep to do before making the activity available. The cartons needed a good clean out. I left the to dry without the lids screwed back on and then I cut out the sides. I had to carefully pierce holes before cutting out areas for the birds to fly into. I personally found it was easier to pierce all the holes around all the sides before any cutting. Cutting made the box weaker so it was much more harder to put pressure onto the carton to pierce holes. 

I squirted some paint into a large tray and laid out the newspaper and we were good to go. Lets just take a little recap on what you will need to do this activity in your settings or at home...

You will need:

Empty, washed out and dried milk/juice cartons

Paint

Paint Brushes

Newspaper

String

I didn't add any sealant as I was worried about the chemicals for the little birds. It has rained and so far the feeders are still vibrant. If the worst comes to the worst we will just re-paint and more than likely look to use acrylic paints instead.




I pierced a hole both sides of the feeder at the top and popped through a piece of ribbon. You could use string/ribbon. It required quite a bit of skill to thread the ribbons through. I was waiting for Neve to ask for my help but she kept on going until she did it by herself!



How beautiful and colourful do they all look?

Once the ribbons were added we were good to go. I popped to the shops with Neve and she selected the bird feed she wanted. We came home and she filled them up and we popped them in the garden. Hanging from our bird feeding station.



She loved scooping up the feed in her hands and filling up her feeders.

I love childrens crafts and I love our garden. It makes me smile looking out and seeing this craft she created and how the little birds come whizzing to her feeders throughout the day.




Excellent job! Now lets take a look at this craft n action:



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Have you ever created bird feeders? We made some Gelatin Bird Feeders a couple of years ago that turned out great too! Get in touch and send us some photos! We love seeing what you have been busy creating and making with the children.

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