Learn how to create your own bird feeder using a milk jug in this step by step tutorial! Milk jug bird feeders are a great DIY project for adults and kids.
Making your own bird feeder using a recycled milk jug is an easy art activity. Using basic supplies including scissors, pipe cleaners, and of course a recycled plastic jug!
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Learning about birds with your kids? Make sure to check out this printable bird watching journal!
Jump to:
Age Range
- Preschool
- Kindergarten
- Elementary
- and Up!
I love how this project is fun for a wide range of ages. It does require help from an adult, but there are parts that children can do independently with supervision of course!
Adult supervision is required for all parts of this DIY project. But this is a great nature craft to do with young kids. Perfect as a hands-on activity for a bird unit study.
Skills to Practice
- Art Appreciation
- Balancing Objects
- Communication
- Estimation
- Fine Motor Skills
- Measuring
- Nature Appreciation
- Needs of Living Things
- Scissor Skills
Making and creating your own bird feeder is a great way to practice a wide range of skills. From fine motor skills to communication, this is a fun activity to do with your kids.
I love how this activity uses pipe cleaners instead of string. Young children can place the pipe cleaner through the holes then twist it to secure it into place.
Scooping and filling the feeder with bird seed is another great activity for kids. They can estimate how much feed it will take to fill the feeder along with scooping it into the jug.
You can even practice math by estimating then measuring the length of the sticks needed to fit on the feeder!
Supplies
- Plastic Milk Jug (or Plastic Water Jug)
- 3 Pipe Cleaners
- 2 Cups of Bird Seed
- 2 Roughly 12 inch long sticks with a narrow width - the sticks need to fit through a hole punch sized hole.
- Single Hole Punch
- Scissors - a sharp pair to puncture the plastic
- Kid Scissors
- Safety Glasses
- Optional: 1 piece of plain paper, school glue, and crayons- to make your own label
I used two different types of scissors for this activity. A sharp adult pair to puncture the plastic jug, then kids safety scissors to cut out the large holes.
If you don't have pipe cleaners you can use cotton butcher twine, jute twine, ribbon, or even yarn. You may have to help your child create a knot.
Directions
Prepare the jug by washing it then drying it. I used a water jug for this DIY, but you can also use a milk jug. If your jug has a label, try to remove it. Don't worry if you can't remove the label, I give ideas for how to cover it up later on in the directions.
I decided to cut two large holes into the side of the jug. This will let birds enter through either side. It made it really easy to fill the feeder with bird seed at the end!
Tip
Use something sharp to puncture the jug before cutting out the holes. I used "adult" scissors for that step. I then finished cutting the holes using "kid" scissors.
Using your hole punch, punch two holes at the bottom of each of the large openings you cut. You will place sticks through the holes to create perches in the next step!
Once your holes are punched, insert the two sticks through the holes. I placed the sticks parallel together to give the birds two different places to perch. For sticks, I went outside and cut maple twigs off of one of our red maple trees.
Next, use the hole punch to punch three holes in the mouth of the jug. Because the plastic is thicker, children might have a hard time punching the holes themselves.
Now for the fun part! Weaving the pipe cleaners through the holes. PLace one pipe cleaner per hole and then twist it around itself. I twisted the bottom 1 inch to 2 inches of pipe cleaner back onto itself.
You will use the long part of the pipe cleaners to hang your bird feeder outside!
This last part is optional, but kids LOVE decorating so if you are doing this activity with kids this part is definitely fun!
Tip
I had a very difficult time pealing the label off of the jug, so I decided to simply cover it up with a handmade label!
To make a label, simply cut a piece of plain paper to fit over the label. Then decorate it using crayons. I used crayons because markers will run if they get wet.
Once you are happy with the design, stick it onto the jug using liquid. school glue. You should let the glue completely dry before hanging it up outside (but I didn't and the label stayed on fine!)
Now, you can fill the bottom of the feeder with bird seed. I used a mix of black oil sunflower seeds and white millet.
Then take the bird feeder outside and hang it up on a branch or hook. To attach the feeder to the branch, simply twist the pipe cleaners onto themselves until it is secure.
Helpful Tips
- Up here in black bear country, we only put out bird feeders in the winter months. We frequently have black bears on our property so I wait until the temperatures are very very cold. Then I take them in before it starts warming up in the spring.
- Since water can enter the feeder, I bring mine inside if we are expecting rain. Another option is to hang it up in a protected area.
- Check on the feeder daily and replace the seeds when needed.
- If you wanted to add more decorations to the feeder, you can decorate the outside of the jug using permanent markers.
Additional Activities
Learning about birds with your kids? Make sure to check out these additional resources. Great for homeschooling, classrooms, and just as some screen free fun!
- Bird BINGO Game
- Bird Watching Journal
- Easy Cup Bird Feeder Craft
- Bird Toys and Gifts for Kids
- Apple Bird Feeder
Milk Jug Bird Feeder
Step by step tutorial to turn an empty milk jug into a bird feeder with a few basic supplies!
Materials
- Empty Milk Jug
- 3 Pipe Cleaners
- 2 Cups of Bird Seed
- 2 Thin Sticks 12 to 14 inches Long
- Piece of Plain Paper
- Crayons
- Liquid School Glue
Tools
- Scissors
- Hand Held Hole Punch
- Safety Glasses
Instructions
- Wash then dry the plastic milk jug
- Using sharp scissors, poke a hole into the side of the jug.
- Cut a large hole into one side of the jug starting where you poked the hold. Stay about 3 inches above the bottom of the jug.
- Repeat steps 2-3 on the second side.
- Using the hole punch, punch a hole under each end of the large openings.
- Stick the sticks parallel to each other, through the hole punches.
- Punch 3 holes along the opening of the jug.
- Lace one pipe cleaner into one hole then twist the bottom of the pipe cleaner back onto itself. This will secure it in place.
- Repeat step 8 with the two other pipe cleaners.
- Remove any labels, if you cannot, simply glue a piece of paper to cover up the old label. I drew a picture on the paper, then pasted it onto the jug using liquid school glue.
- Fill the bottom portion of the jug with bird seed.
- Hang outside by twisting the pipe cleaners onto themselves above a branch or hook.
Notes
Adult supervision is required for all parts of this activity. An adult should poke the hold into the jug using sharp scissors.
I used two different types of scissors for this activity. A sharp adult pair to puncture the plastic jug, then kids safety scissors to cut out the large holes.
If you don't have pipe cleaners you can use cotton butcher twine, jute twine, ribbon, or even yarn. You may have to help your child create a knot.
If you live in bear country, only hang outside when bears are hibernating in winter. Take down before the weather warms up in the spring.
Since the top is open, place the feeder in a protected area or bring inside if it is going to rain.
Check on the feeder daily and replace the seed when needed.
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