A Pine Cone Bird Feeder is a fun natural project kids can make for feeding wildlife.

Homemade bird feeders are easy and fun to make, and great for wild birds in the winter!

Pine Cone Bird Feeder 

My kids love to watch and see if any squirrels are coming out to play in our yard.

Lately we’ve been watching lots of new birds coming into our yard. They get so excited with each new one they spot!

Did you know that late winter is actually the ideal time to make pinecone bird feeders?

You might think of it as a summer project, but birds don’t need much help in the summer. 

Pinecone Feeder Craft and Lesson

Although making pine cone bird feeders is fun to make with kids of all ages, a Pine Cone Bird Feeder is an easy preschool craft that encourages more birds to fly by your windows.

Your kids will have so much fun making them and they pretty much can’t mess them up which means a less stressful project.

Try identifying the different birds or counting them and you’ve got an art and science lesson at the same time.

If might be fun to get some bird books to make identifying them easier as well. (This post contains affiliate links.)

Supplies Needed To Make A Pine Cone Bird Feeder

• Pinecone (we used large pine cones, but you can use any size)
• Peanut butter
• Bird seed
• String, twine, wire

Directions To Make Pine Cone Feeders For Our Feathered Friends:

Step 1

The first thing you want to do is tie the string, twine or wire to the pine cone before you begin.

Leave a long enough piece at the top so you can hang the pine cone bird feeder later.

Step 2

Next, cover the pine cone in peanut butter. A thicker peanut butter works better here so it will adhere to the pine cone better. 

You can use a spoon or butter knife to spread peanut butter from the top of the pine cone to the bottom.

A preschooler should be able to do this step with very little, if any, help.

Step 3

Now, coat the peanut butter in bird seed. We rolled our pine cone in a dish, paper plate, or small bowls filled with peanut butter and poured bird seed on as well.

We then patted the bird seed in to ensure it would all stick well.

Step 4

Finally, find a place to hang your Pine Cone Bird Feeder outside.

If you have neighborhood cats, then you’ll want to find a high enough place that makes it harder for them to snatch any hungry birds.

We live on a farm and have barn cats so I’ve found that hanging bird feeders at least 10 feet high keeps the cats at bay and gives birds lots of safety just in case.

We had so much fun making this Pine Cone Bird Feeder and hope you do too!

Easy Pine Cone Bird Feed Winter Craft For Kids

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A Pine Cone Bird Feeder is a fun natural project kids can make for feeding wildlife.

Materials

• Pinecone (we used large pine cones, but you can use any size)
• Peanut butter
• Bird seed
• String, twine, wire

Instructions

1. The first thing you want to do is tie the string, twine or wire to the pine cone before you begin. Leave a long enough piece at the top so you can hang the pine cone bird feeder later.
2. Next, cover the pine cone in peanut butter. A thicker peanut butter works better here so it will adhere to the pine cone better. You can use a spoon or butter knife to spread peanut butter from the top of the pine cone to the bottom. A preschooler should be able to do this step with very little, if any, help.
3. Now, coat the peanut butter in bird seed. We rolled our pine cone in a dish, paper plate, or small bowls filled with peanut butter and poured bird seed on as well. We then patted the bird seed in to ensure it would all stick well.
4. Finally, find a place to hang your Pine Cone Bird Feeder outside. If you have neighborhood cats, then you'll want to find a high enough place that makes it harder for them to snatch any hungry birds. We live on a farm and have barn cats so I've found that hanging bird feeders at least 10 feet high keeps the cats at bay and gives birds lots of safety just in case. We had so much fun making this Pine Cone Bird Feeder and hope you do too!

For other fun projects with kids stop by MilkandCuddles.com!

More Great Bird Feeder Crafts From Kids Activities Blog:

• Looking for another great way to feed backyard birds? The try this DIY humming bird feeder!
• Birds eat more than just a type of seed. You can make a fruit garland for birds. Fruit is an excellent source of food for birds.
• This DIY bird feeder is made from string, a toilet paper roll, bird seed and peanut butter.
• Here are more pine cone bird feeders. Spread the natural peanut butter from the top of the pinecone to bottom and add seed to make a bird feeder.
• Did you know you can make a butterfly feeder too?

Let us know if your kids enjoyed this classic project in the comments section!