Help the winter birds (or birds in general) by making this easy nature craft with kids using pine cones. There are lots of birds, such as chickadees, juncos, and cardinals, that stick around during the winter even when it gets cold and sources for food (like nuts and seeds) get scarce. Many bird species have been on decline over the past several years. You can be a part of helping them survive even if you don’t live in a place with a harsh winter.

This is a great nature craft to help kids spend some time with nature. They will have fun gathering the pine cones, making the feeders, choosing a spot to hang them, and then watching the birds dig in.

You can see our tutorial on how to clean pinecones for crafting here.

Supplies Needed:

pine cones
twine/string
peanut butter
bird seed
dried fruit such as craisins (optional)
paper plate or other container to work on

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Steps:

Gather your pine cones. Choose the most open ones you can find. If you want to clean them before working with them, follow our simple tutorial here. Or you can order these pine cones, which are ready for crafting.
Tie a length of twine to one end of the pine cone. You can always tie a longer string to this first string if need be, but it’s easier to tie to the pine cone before it’s loaded with peanut butter.
Portion out a large dollop of peanut butter and begin spreading it onto the pine cone. Get as deep in between the scales as you can.
Once the pine cone is covered in peanut butter, get about a cup of bird seed (mix it with small bits of dried fruit if you’re using it) and sprinkle it over the covered pine cone. Be sure to catch falling seed by working over a paper plate or such. Continue to sprinkle the seed over visible spots of peanut butter. Alternatively, roll the pine cone over a pile of bird seed. Push firmly enough to press the seed into the peanut butter, but not so firm as to break the scales.
Hang your bird feeder. Ideally, you would hang your feeder in a place where you can watch the birds enjoy it. Grab your copy of Backyard Birdwatching and identify the birds that come to your feeder.