If you are looking for a fun and easy craft to do with the kids, you might want to try your hand at making birdseed ornaments. They are super simple to create and hang in your yard. The kids and you will love bird watching as they flock to your tree for a snack.
When nice weather rolls around, I love to hear the birds sing. The easiest way to lure them into my yard is by feeding them!
What’s the fun in just using a bird feeder when you can create something fun! We made birdseed shapes with our kids and they had a ball. While making them was a great way to spend an afternoon, we’ve enjoyed watching the kids even more. They have dug out their computers and our bird watching book to try to identify those that enter our yard.
While the kids think it’s a craft, it really is an education in disguise!
HOW TO MAKE A BIRDSEED ORNAMENT
SUPPLIES
Birdseed (select a type that is appropriate for birds in your native area)
1 packet of unflavored gelatin
1 cup of very hot water
Wax paper
Cookie cutters of choice
Toothpick or small straw
Twine, ribbon, or string
DIRECTIONS
Place three cups of birdseed in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, combine the gelatin and hot water with a whisk until it’s completely dissolved. Add the gelatin mixture to the bird seed and stir until all the birdseed is wet.
Set out a sheet of wax paper on the counter. Place your cookie cutters on the wax paper. Make sure your cookie cutters aren’t more than a half an inch thick, or you will need to let the shapes dry for much longer. I used cookie cutters with moderate details, but not intricate details, and it worked very well.
Use a spoon, and ladle in the birdseed into each cookie cutter. Press them in gently with your fingers to make sure there are no air pockets in the shapes. Smooth out the tops as well. Use a toothpick or a small straw to make a hole in your birdseed shapes for hanging later. Leave them sitting for 4-6 hours.
Once 4-6 hours has passed, flip the shapes over on the wax paper, and let them sit for another 4-6 hours, or overnight. I left mine overnight. Once they’re completely hard and dry, gently press to release them from the cookie cutter. Use 6″-8″ pieces of string to loop through the holes so you can tie them outside to a branch of a tree. Be sure to tie the knots on the twine tightly, so the wind doesn’t blow your shapes away.
Sit back and watch the birds flock into your yard!