How to make birdfeeders

You will need:

1. Pinecones
2. Peanut Butter
3. Birdseed
4. String
5. Kids willing to get messy and eat bird seed


After seeing a craft on TV, Ryan has been insisting that we needed to make pine cone bird feeders, because if we don't the birds could starve...apparently. After many reminders to buy bird seed we decided to make our feeders today. Kaley and Alesha were over, so, of course, we have to have enough pine cones for everyone. I sent the kids on a pine cone hunt and they miraculously came back with enough pine cones for each person to make 2. Now I had NO idea how to make these feeders other than the use of peanut butter holds the seed on. Thanks to my sister for the tip to microwave the peanut butter, otherwise, we would have had a bunch of smooshed pine cones and a very frustrated mom trying to put peanut butter on each point of the pine cone by hand.

I handed the first pine cone to alesha (who is 4) and told her to put it in the peanut butter and roll it around then put it in the bird seed. She looked at me and said "But it will make my hands all thticky". I told her it was okay and we could wash her hands after. I hand the peanut butter dish to Kaley (who is 5) and tell her to do the same. While she is making her feeder Ryan and Ben are fighting over who will get to go next (me, no me, no ME, NO me, NO ME). As I look back at Alesha, she is eating all the bird seed that stuck to her fingers...from the peanut butter. I explain to her that is for the birds to eat...she isnt quite sure she liked that idea. Apparently the bird seed was pretty tasty. As Kaley finishes up her feeder I passed the peanut butter to Ryan and then on to Ben. I glance down and Lizzie is sitting on my feet. I pick her up and put her back in the living room. Surely I don't want her covered in seed as well. I come back to find most of the melted peanut butter is gone, look at all the kids and ask where the peanut butter went. 4 "i don't know"s came back in my direction. I decided it wasnt worth the argument. Im sure that peanut butter that has had dirt covered pine cones rolled in it and bird seed dropped in it cant be THAT bad for you!!?? A short while later I caught Ben, peanut butter on hands, licking his fingers.

After all this work those darn birds better eat these :)