Help the Birds ::: Make Your Own Pinecone Bird Feeder

This is a great way to help our children become stars by helping them help the wildlife. Currently we are in the middle of winter, spring will be here sooner or later. Either way our birds will need a bit of help finding food until nature gets over the cold chill.

Hang these bird feeders where the kids can see the birds dining on the treat they helped create. This area of time often leaves our winged friends without food that they can find on their own.

By feeding the birds you are in sense making them feel welcome. When the birds feel welcome they will come back to help with things like

• insect control
• weed control
• cross pollinating between flowers and plants

You will need:

• Several large pinecones (bought, or better yet, found on an outside adventure)
• Peanut butter (vegetable shortening for people with nut allergies)
• Birdseed 
• String, pipe cleaners or wire
• Scissors (if using string) 
• Butter knife
• 2 or more plates 
• A place to hang your bird feeder (a tree or bird feeder hanger work nicely)

Check your pinecones. If they’re tightly closed up, let them sit inside the house for several days so they can “bloom,” or bake them in a 300° oven for about 10 minutes to get them to open up.

Caution: Some pinecones have sharp points on the tips of their petals, so be sure you and your kids handle them with care to avoid getting poked

Once you have open pinecones, you can attach a pipe cleaner or a length of string or wire to the tip Now it is time to spread the peanut butter Be sure to get it into all the cracks and crevices to fully coat your pinecone in peanut butter.

Once the pine cone is covered with peanut butter it is time to pour birdseed onto a plate so that it is ready to roll the pine cone in as the next step. 

completely cover the pinecone with bird seed. It is now time to hang your feeder

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