This DIY Bird Feeder is the perfect easy craft to do with your kids. Made with safe and easy to find ingredients, this homemade bird feeder is a project that I’ve loved to do with my kids since they were little and I know you will love to do with yours as well!
Happy Sunday, friends! This weekend was full of fun fall activities with the kiddos: soccer games, bike races, lunch with family, trick or treating! Life is so busy when your kids are this age. But, we are also wrapping up a couple activities and I know our weekends will be slower paced coming up. So I am already thinking of things we are going to be doing on days when it is just too cold to be outside (guys, that’s like every day below 40 for me . . . . and 40 is a stretch).
These DIY Bird Feeders are such a great project to do with the kids on cold winter days. They are great to hang up for the birds in the winter, and they are also super cute and make perfect holiday gifts for neighbors, teachers, and friends. We love doing these easy to make bird feeders with the kids! This is a slight adaptation to my Valentines Day Birdfeeders because we are using a star so it can be made for holidays year round and I also decided to double the gelatin and really loved how much sturdier it made them.
What are Bird Feeders Made of?
You only need a few simple things to make these homemade bird feeders. All of them (except maybe the birdseed) can be found at the grocery store and all of them are non-toxic, which makes this the perfect craft project to do with the kids. Additionally there is no peanut butter in these diy bird feeders, so they are a perfect classroom project.
DIY Bird Feeder Supplies
- 4 cups birdseed
- 3/4 cup flour
- 2 0.25 ounce packets of unflavored gelatin (or 5 teaspoons)
- 3 tablespoons corn syrup
- 1/2 cup water
- cooking spray
- parchment lined baking sheet
- skewer
- thick sided cookie cuter
How do you Make Bird Feeder with Gelatin?
The unflavored gelatin is what holds this whole thing together, so it’s pretty important. You can find it in the canning aisle of the grocery store in a little box that contains four of the packets you see pictured above. You mix it in with the other dry ingredients and in the end it holds together your bird feeder perfectly!
How to Make a Bird Feeder
- Mix together the dry ingredients (the birdseed, flour, and gelatin mix) in a bowl.
- Stir in the wet ingredients (the corn syrup and the water). You will probably need to use your hands to get it sufficiently mixed.
- Spray a cookie cutter (any shape as long as it has thick sides) with cooking spray.
- Press the bird feed mixture into the cookie cutters. Then use a skewer to make a hole.
- Gently remove the cookie cutter.
- Allow it to dry overnight.
- String a ribbon through it and give it away or hang it in your trees.
I love these because of how easy they are, and they also turn out perfect every time!
If you are looking for more winter crafts to do with your kids you could check out this post on 39 awesome winter activities for kids. These Gingerbread Man Christmas Ornaments are also a huge hit!
Watch me Make These Homemade Bird Feeders
Nathalie says
Je ne les ai pas encore testés, mais j’ai lu que l’on pouvait remplacer le sirop de maïs par du miel
I’m a little worried that honey won’t hold these together the same way.
Mary Pfister says
How many ornaments does the recipe make?
It greatly depends on the size of the cookie cutter. So anywhere from about 6 to 12.
Linda says
Loved making them, however there is a large squirrel population in my neighborhood. I added cayenne pepper (to the dry mix) and mixed it all together before molding them. Squirrels hate the peppers and they don’t negatively affect the birds.
kerry ann kerschat says
great idea for school holidays
Sherri says
Does the gelatin hold up in hot temperatures? I live in Belize and want to attract the parrots and toucans (adding berries). The recipes with lard and peanut butter would melt right away here.
I’m not sure! We haven’t actually made these in the summer, they are typically a winter activity for us.
Bev says
People think Cayenne pepper doesn’t negatively affect birds, but this isn’t true… it does. Yes, they can tolerate the taste and the heat, but their little stomachs cannot. It’s dangerous for their stomachs and digestive system. (I read an article about this in a bird magazine. We have many feeders in our back, wooded area and we’d never think of adding cayenne pepper to our seed.)
Tara Hiltz says
I am not entirely sure that corn syrup, flour and gelatin are exactly healthy for the birds to be consuming, however some possible better alternatives are peanut butter crunchy or smooth and or a fat like bacon fat would be a much better and healthier alternative. It maybe even possible to use a coconut oil. Just a thought.
Denise says
I made wreaths for my daughters and granddaughters for Christmas. I made a similar recipe with only one gelatin and an addition of a bit of flour. I dried them before wrapping loosely in cellophane. They were beautiful. I mixed with several type of bird seeds, nuts and fruits. They were great until
It rained. Then they fell apart! Have you had that problem with the star ones?
Unfortunately, yes. These guys don’t do well in the rain. They will hold up to some snow, but rain is just too much moisture all at once.
Lou says
is there a vegetarian version if you cant use gelatin? thanks
I’m sorry, at this point I don’t have an alternative.
Stephanie Craven says
Hi, is or 3 or 4 cups or 3 quarters? Trying to convert into grams, thank you
It’s three quarters.