Gift Guide 
What You'll Need:
- Scissors
- Shallow plastic container with lid
- 2 sheets of 8½-inch-by-5½-inch craft foam
- Tape
- Hole punch
- 3-foot-long piece of yarn
- Birdseed
1. Cut a rectangular window in the middle of a sheet of craft foam.
Creative
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Bird Café
Make the bird feeder, then see who stops by for a snack!
Give your kids a head start on a lifelong pleasure: teach them about birds. First, make a little bird feeder. Hang it from a nearby tree branch or your fire escape to tempt them closer. See who stops by. Then make a game of spotting and identifying birds on your lawn, on a city sidewalk, or soaring overhead. A healthy bird population means the environment is clean, and that’s something we can all appreciate.
Image Credit |
Art by Gary LaCoste
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2. Wrap the craft foam around the container. Tape the foam in place.
3. Wrap the top of the craft foam around the lid. Tape it in place.
4. Use a hole punch to make a hole at the top of the foam, about 1 inch from the side. Repeat on the other side.
5. Put one end of the yarn through a hole and tie a knot. Repeat on the other side. Make a loop knot in the yarn about 6 inches from the top of the yarn.
6. Fold the other piece of craft foam in half to make the roof. Tape it to the bird feeder. Fill the plastic container with birdseed and hang it in a tree.
Extend the Fun
For younger kids: What color bird visits the most? Write red, brown, yellow, and gray at the top of a piece of paper. When you see a bird of a certain color visit your bird feeder, make a tally mark under that color. Add more colors if necessary; maybe an orange oriole or a purple martin will swoop in for a quick snack.
For older kids: Keep a bird book, pen, paper, and clipboard handy. Make daily notes on the types of birds that visit your bird café. As the seasons change, watch how the guest list varies.
Craft by Lisa Glover|Text by Mary Sears. Photos by Guy Cali Associates, Inc.
