Introduce kids to the fun of birdfeeding!

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If you’re looking for inexpensive and fun things to do with the kids this summer, feeding the birds is a wonderful way to get them out in the sunshine! Kids today spend less time outdoors than any other generation. Get them outside, observing the nature around them! It’s good for their physical and emotional well being and fosters an appreciation of our environment. Bird feeding is a great way to start—it costs very little, you don’t have to leave home, and watching birds is fun!

 

When you’re introducing kids to bird feeding, why not start with a simple homemade feeder? Kids are thrilled the first time they see a bird land and eat on a feeder they made. The “milk carton” feeder works well. Cut good-sized openings in opposite sides of the container, about half way up, either square or arch-shaped. Then punch a hole under the openings and run a dowel or a straight stick through the holes to make two perches. Tape or staple the pour-spout closed and punch holes to run a wire or string through the top for hanging. Fill the bottom with bird seed. Black oil sunflower seed is the most economical and also the kind birds like most.  For best results and also to attract more birds, combine a homemade feeder with the durable, tried and true varieties. Starter bird feeding packages are available that are inexpensive and include everything you need to start. Tube feeders are very popular and easy to fill and keep clean. Platform feeders allow you to put out different foods on one table; fruit, bread scraps, and suet.  Window feeders bring birds right up to the window—children love seeing wildlife up close, and it keeps them in touch with their new hobby even on rainy days. 

 

Teach children that all animals need food, water and shelter. You may want to attract even more birds to your yard by providing water—either in a shallow pan on the ground or by purchasing a birdbath. Eventually you might put up nesting boxes and start plantings to create a backyard habitat for the birds and other animals.

 

Finally, incorporate some “kid” activities into your bird feeding. How many birds can they count at each feeder? What kind of seeds do they seem to like best? Even very young children can be taught to identify which birds are coming to feed. If you know the birds, it’s fun to teach the names. If you don’t, buy an inexpensive identification guide and when you see a bird at the feeder, look up the bird together and find out more about where the bird lives, what it eats and what their song sounds like. Many teachers use the Identiflyer in their classrooms. The child can look for the picture of the bird on a sound card and then play the song. Soon they’ll be recognizing birds by their songs without even seeing the bird! As they grow and learn more about birds, some children might be interested in drawing birds, recording the bird songs they hear, or even photographing birds at their feeders and bird baths. Once you introduce a child to the wonderful hobby of bird feeding, there’s no telling where it will take them!

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