We live in the land of overflowing landfills. So, it’s always nice to salvage and repurpose items into something useful, such as making a bird feeder out of an empty water bottle. Not only is this project fun, but it also is inexpensive, easy to make, and a great way to attract beautiful birds into your yard.
Here’s what you’ll need to make it:
• An empty 1-liter water bottle (labels removed) with a lid
• One tape measure
• A magic marker
• Twine
• One eye screw
• Two wooden spoons
• One sharp craft knife
• Bird seed
Instructions:
Dry out your water bottle and cap. Screw the cap back on. Use your tape measure, anywhere on your water bottle, locate one spot four inches up from the bottom. Using your marker, mark that spot with an x. Then turn the water bottle 90 degrees and make another x at six inches up. Looking through the bottle, make about a nickel size circle on the opposite side directly across from each of the x marks. The circles should be slightly larger than the handles of your wooden spoon. When you look through the bottle, each x and o should line up and be opposite one another. This totals four markings in all, two x and two o. Using your craft knife, very carefully cut along the x marks and then cut out the circles. Next, remove the cap and insert the eye screw in the cap with the eye coming out of the top. Once the eye screw is secured, screw the top back on. (Now it’s time to put the spoons in place by inserting each wooden spoons horizontally through the feeder and face up. Each end, both the spoon and the handle, will stick out of the water bottle as perches for the birds.) Place one of your wooden spoons through the circle hole with the spoon part sticking out of the circle and the handle part coming out through the cut x. Repeat this step with the second spoon. Then unscrew cap and fill with birdseed and close the cap. Some birdseed will tumble out of the circle and rest on the spoon. Use the twine to hang the feeder from the tree, securing it through the eye hook.
Getting children involved:
Kids can get involved in several ways. They can help measure and mark the spots and the adults can do the cutting. Children can also help fill the bird feeder and choose the ideal location for the feeder to go. Then, take the time to observe what birds come to the feeder and learn to identify different species in your area.