Pine Cone Bird Feeders

I love doing crafts with my kids, but as a limb difference mom this is not always an easy task to take on. Finding crafts that are doable for both Lamp and PSP is challenging to say the least. Because Lamp really wants to do it all herself! Which is awesome (yay!), but again challenging (grrr).  Lately I remembered these pinecone bird feeders I made as a little girl and I knew it would be a great craft for everyone involved. This is a great craft for kids of all ages and abilities and it’s eco friendly as well.  Also doing it outside made clean-up a breeze. You can even go on a nature walk to look for pinecones as a separate pre-craft activity. See, already a 1, 2 punch with this one… I got your back mamas.  

Here’s what you need:
pinecones
peanut butter
birdseed
twine
scissors, knife, paper plate

First tie a generous amount of twine around each pinecone, making sure it’s secure and that the pinecone won’t easily slip out.  I probably used a foot or more of twine per cone.  You may want more depending on the thickness of the branches you’re tying it around, you can always cut it later.

Now comes the fun part, slather on the peanut butter nice and think.  Try and get it on each individual… I don’t know, pine? petal?  petal pine?  You know what I mean, get it on there nice and thick.

    Holding the pinecone still while Lamp spreads the peanut butter on

Now sprinkle on the birdseed.

And you’re ready to hang your bird feeders!

*I can still remember the pinecone I made as a little girl looking completely chewed up and pecked to death after we hung it for a few days.  However, these pinecones disappeared after a day on the tree–all of them!  We have some serious squirrels around here, so we may try this again but tether them around the branch really well.  Either that or get out the bb gun.  (I kid, I kid…)