Pumpkin Bird Feeder
In the fall, pumpkins are everywhere. And who doesn’t want to decorate with them? Unfortunately, making jack o lantern after jack o lantern can be monotonous. Not to mention a tad advanced for the littlest among us. Change up your pumpkins this fall with this unique craft which blends Martha Stewart’s original bird feeder with a more kid friendly approach.
Supplies
- A 5-7 lb pumpkin
- Large Knife and spoon
- Rope
- Black marker
- Craft sticks
- Mittens
- Bird Seed
Directions
Take your pumpkin and cut off the top half. Abby insisted on using her scissors to help me cut…lets just say it didn’t go over very well. For this craft, well only be using the bottom half, but don’t let the top part go to waste! Turn it into a paint bowl or pumpkin stamps for more fall fun.
Now that you have the bottom part of the pumpkin sectioned off, scrape out the insides with your spoon. Be sure not to throw away the seeds! They make a delicious after school snack for your little ones.
Once everything is scraped out, you’ll have the basic bowl for your bird feeder. From here you can let the little ones get creative. Abby and I added a nose and shocked mouth with a black marker while inserting bent craft sticks into the sides for arms. The final touch of the mittens completed the look for our half mutilated pumpkin head. But honestly, let your little one decorate the bird feeder any way he/she wants. They’ll love the chance to be independent.
To hang up the bird feeder, I tied a knot in the bottom of the pumpkin with a rope and then wrapped the four strings around and tied it to a branch. However, I would try a more secure way if possible – let’s just say that the first squirrel to jump on the edge if it knocked it down. Ours is now resting at the foot of the tree (if trees had feet).
Finally, I let Abby add the birdseed. We pretended like these were the pumpkins brains (brain food for the birds if you will), but she really delighted in the chance to feed the squirrels and the birds. Now every morning she checks for animals in the pumpkin and squeals with joy when she sees one. A poor squirrel was scared senseless this morning.
