Random Reuses: Toilet Paper Rolls Turned Bird Feeders

One man's trash is little birdie's treasure.

About a month ago, my little boy went to a birthday party where all the kids made bird feeders.  I was impressed not only by the clever simplicity of the craft, but that my friend was able to wrangle a group of three- and four-year-olds into making them.  Yesterday, as I was thinking about what to do with my cub scout den (yep, I'm a den mother. Still makes me laugh.), I decided to have them work on their Naturalist badge and I remembered this simple, easy craft. Even the ten-year-old Webelos enjoyed it. So, without further ado, here's the super-easy, super-cheap bird feeder craft.

What you need:

• an empty toilet paper roll (that's the random reuse, in case you were wondering)
• a piece of colorful ribbon, yarn, or string (the more colorful, the better because it attracts the birds)
• birdseed (I bought a 5 lb. bag of the multi-bird/songbird blend for under three dollars. You can get smaller, cheaper bags of it. I got this because I knew we'd use it - we love getting birds to come to our yard.)
• a single-hole punch
• peanut butter (smooth or chunky - doesn't matter) 

Simply spread a layer of peanut butter on the cardboard tube and then roll it in a plate full of birdseed.  Punch a hole or two through one end, thread the yarn/ribbon/string through the hole, and tie it so you have a loop.  And you're finished. Simple and kid-friendly. That's my kind of craft.

The final step is to hang it from a tree branch. Sure, it's not much to look at, but the birds won't care.  At least they didn't seem to mind when they devoured the last one.