• Children are easily enthralled by the natural world around them and often love to make even the simplest things. Bird feeders offer a fun and inexpensive way to combine crafts, education and nature by showing kids how simple they are to make, explaining why certain items are used, and letting them watch the birds enjoy a new feast. While store-bought feeders and seed mixes may cost more than "tuppence a bag" these days, it's still not a costly activity for the family to share, and the possibilities are only as limited as your imagination.
  
  

All Edible Feeders

• There are many options for making almost completely edible bird feeders out of things you already have in your kitchen. String circular cereal pieces and bits of toasted bread and hang, necklace-like, on a tree branch or bush. If you string popcorn and cranberries for your Christmas tree, string some for the birds as well (or just put yours out for the birds after the tree comes down). Hang a large pretzel from a string, spread on peanut butter, then sprinkle with sunflower seeds.
  
  

Natural Feeders

• Birds are used to eating from organic surfaces, but they certainly enjoy an extra treat now and then. If you have pine trees nearby, gather a few pine cones up for some simple bird feeders. Just wrap some twine around the cone and tie a loop to hang it by, then spread peanut butter between the layers and roll it in sunflower seeds, pine nuts, or your favorite birdseed blend.
  
  For a more advanced project, collect fallen branches and use twine to connect them into a triangle, star, or other shape, then complete as you did the pine cone feeder.
  
  

Recycled Feeders

• A couple simple recycled bird feeder options are a 20-ounce plastic bottle or a quart or half-gallon cardboard drink carton. For either one, simply wash it out well, cut two to three sets of holes opposite each other at varying levels and insert old wooden spoons all the way through. Attach twine at the top to hang it by, and fill with your favorite bird seed.
  
  

Decorated Feeders

• Recycled bird feeders can be taken a bit further for the more adventurous or artistic kids. Use non-toxic paints, Popsicle sticks, stencils, wire hangers, wooden dowels and plenty of imagination. The basics needed by every bird feeder are: something to perch on, something to hold the food, accessibility to the birds, and avoid heavy chemicals or toxic glues, paints, glitter, etc. that would be harmful to the birds.