Great craft ideas for kids result in such a rewarding experience and it teaches the child something they hadn’t known before. Sometimes with craft projects for kids, the adult also learns something new.
Kids like birds and they are great for kids to watch, with so many different kinds to be seen and heard. Especially in Spring, when the birds are building nests and needing extra food. The first activity here is one that covers both needs for the birds.
Simple Kids Crafts – Make a Bird Feeder
You will need:
- Pieces of bread (any kind)
- A ruler
- A bowl for the eggs
- A bowl for the birdseed
- Ribbon or string cut into 8 inch lengths
- A warm place or sunny window sill
- Some waxed paper or sheet of foil
- First, break two eggs into the bowl and stir with a fork to mix. Throw away the shells.
- Put the bird seed into the other bowl.
- Cut the ribbon or string into 8 inch lengths and make a pile of them.
- Next, using one piece of bread at a time, dip the bread into the eggs to coat both sides. Don’t take too long or the bread may soak up the eggs and break.
- Now dip the egg-coated bread into the birdseed bowl. Press it down so the seeds really stick to the bread. Turn the bread over and do the other side.
- Poke a small hole in the top of the bread.
- Run a piece of the ribbon or string through the hole and tie the ends together, forming a loop through the bread. Do not try to pick up the bread with the ribbon, because it’s wet and it’ll break the bread.
- Put the seed-coated bread on the waxed paper or foil, and set it a warm place to dry, like a sunny window sill or the top of the fridge. Leave until the egg dries on the bread.
- When the bread is totally dry, pick it up and hang it by the loop on a tree branch where there’s been lots of birds.
Now, watch the bird feeder do it’s job! From inside the house, or from across the yard, watch the birds come and peck the seeds off the bread. They will even eat the bread. After the seeds and bread is gone, the birds will ‘steal’ away the ribbon or string to use in their nests.
Kids Spring Crafts – Bird Nest Materials
You will need:
- A used berry basket (the kind they come in at the store)
- String or ribbon
- Strips of cloth or rags
- Dry grass or straw
- Long grass can be picked ahead of time for this project.
- Cut the string or ribbon into 4 inch lengths. Make a pile of them in the berry basket.
- Tear the rag into thin strips of cloth about 4 inches long. Put them in the basket.
- Make a pile of dried grass in the basket, too. There should be 3 things in the berry basket now.
- Take one piece of the string/ribbon and tie the filled berry basket onto a tree branch.
Pair Bird Watching With Spring Crafts for Kids
After crafting is done, go to a park where there is a lot of trees, or to a riverbank or forest. Sometimes a backyard with a lot of trees and birds will do. Take binoculars and a book of local birds (with pictures) and then use the binoculars to find a bird. Look up the birds in the book to find out what kind it is, what it eats and where it nests. Make a list of all the birds found and post it near a window. Add to it all the time as more and more breeds are seen.