Feed the birds

"Feed the birds..." I always want to finish that sentence "tuppence a bag." And I didn't even like Mary Poppins. Oh, Disney. But anyway, yesterday my speech client and I made a bird feeder in clinic. It was sooo easy and he was really entertained by it. And lemme tell ya, it is hard to get him interested in our therapy sessions sometimes. 

I'm sure most (if not all) of you have made a bird feeder before, but with a pinecone. I could not find a single pinecone anywhere near my apartment or campus, so when I saw this tutorial using a toilet paper roll (yay for recycling!) I was ecstatic. I got the idea from the blog The Moffatt Girls, a cute blog with lots of kids crafts and printables. 

Get your supplies together:

A bag of birdseed - this large bag was a little more than $2.00 at Kroger

Creamy peanut butter - I got a little from the bulk section of the grocery store...I like chunky so there was no point in buying a whole jar. If you're making a lot of these, you can find cheap jars of peanut butter at the Dollar Store (LOVE that place)

A toilet paper roll - If you're a hoarder crafter like I am, you'll already have some of these saved up. If not, get your cat or little cousin to roll all of the paper off for you. 

Plastic Knife/ Butter Knife

Plate (paper or not)

String/Yarn (optional)

As for making the feeder, the directions are simple. Literally so easy a child can do it, especially if you give them a plastic knife or very dull butter knife. 

First, poke holes in the toilet paper roll and thread string/yarn through the holes (if you want to hang it)

Spread the peanut butter on the TP roll. Make sure it's smooth and fairly thin. Otherwise, things will get messy very quickly. Trust me, I know.

Pour some birdseed into the plate, then roll the peanut butter-covered TP roll in the birdseed until it's completely coated.

Hang your tube on the nearest tree /porch awning, or if you didn't poke holes and add string, just slip the feeder over a thin tree branch.