Getting kids excited about nature is always a good thing—but sometimes it can be challenging to pull them away from their screens and the cozy indoors. One way to engage children in the great outdoors is to spend some time doing nature-based crafts. If you’re trying to get your kids interested in birds or birding specifically, you can focus on bird-themed crafts!
Here are some arts and crafts projects that feature birds—with required skill level ranging widely so there’s something for everyone!
1. Make a pinecone birdfeeder.
Easy as it gets. Roll a pinecone covered with peanut butter in birdseed, attach a string, and hang it in a tree.
2. Make an apple birdfeeder.
Another really easy one. Roll an apple core in peanut butter, and then roll it in birdseed. Hang it in a tree for an eco-friendly birdfeeder.
3. Create a bird bingo card.
Using a list of species that are common in your area, make and decorate a few bird bingo cards. Bonus activity: you get to play bingo when you’re done!
4. Keep a bird journal.
Have each child keep a journal of the birds they spot. This can take whatever format they want: a list of species, drawings they do and color, photos of birds they take, etc.
5. Decorate a bird tree.
Using natural birdfeeders (like the pinecones and apples rolled in peanut butter and birdseed) as ornaments, decorate a tree for the birds to feed from. You can also hang orange halves or string popcorn and dried fruit to make garland to further adorn the tree.
6. Make window decorations.
Talk to kids about how birds can fly into clear windows and get stunned or injured. As a deterrent, you can place decorations on windows so that birds realize there is something there. You can make any kind of decoration and tape them to windows, or you can get fancy and make these with waterproof adhesive paper.
7. Make a bagel bird feeder.
Take half of a sliced bagel and coat it in peanut butter. You know the routine: cover it with birdseed, add a string, and hang it up!
8. Make a plastic bottle bird feeder.
Use an old plastic bottle or jug—milk jugs or large soda bottle work especially well, but you can do it with a smaller bottle too. Cut out a hole for the birds to access the food and hang it from a tree.
9. Make wine cork owls.
This one isn’t for the birds, but it features a bird! Take a cork from a wine bottle, and add eyes, a beak, and wings for a cute little owl figure (add a string to make it an ornament).
10. Make your own suet cake.
This one requires a little adult help because you have to heat the bacon fat, but with a few simple steps you can make your own suet cakes to feed the birds!
11. Make bird kebabs.
Take floral wire and thread bird-friendly foods onto it: fruit, raisins, bread, even cheese! You can shape it into a wreath or whatever shape you like. Tie a string to it and hang it from a tree.
12. Make an orange birdfeeder.
First, you make a mixture of birdseed and lard (you could also use peanut butter). Then, use half of an orange peel as a shell and fill it up with the mix! Hang it from a tree for a biodegradable birdfeeder.
13. Make a terracotta pot birdbath.
This one’s great if your kids like to paint terracotta pots! They can decorate the pots (remember to tell them which end will be up) and then by placing the saucer on top of the upside down pot, you get an instant birdbath!
14. Make a self-filling waterer.
This project requires a few more steps (including poking a hole, so watch out for scissor or knife use!) but can be fun for older kids to make. Keep a large plastic yogurt container and add a saucer.
15. Make a birdfeeder with a drill.
If you’ve got a handy kid on your hands, attempt this project that uses a melamine bowl and place to make a pretty covered birdfeeder.
16. Make a milk carton birdfeeder.
If you’ve got a cardboard milk carton, you can easily turn it into a birdfeeder. Using recycled materials is always good!
17. Make a toilet paper roll birdfeeder.
Next time you have an empty toilet paper roll, save it. Cover it with peanut butter, roll it in birdseed, and add string to hand it from a tree and make an easy birdfeeder!
