Trash to Great Storytime Art Projects …

For this week's Trash to Great Storytime Art Project I decided to stick with my bird theme and do Bird Feeders made out of recycled items. However, I don't have any instructions written up or any bird feeders on hand to take pictures of, so I decided to post a few websites I found with instructions and pictures for making bird feeders out of everyday recyclables.

First, from Family Fun, a bird feeder made out of a cardboard milk or orange container, with a fancy popsicles stick roof:

http://familyfun.go.com/crafts/make-recycled-bird-feeder-710474/

Next the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources site for kids has instructions for making a variety of bird feeders out of a milk jugs and cartons, pie plates and several other ideas:

http://dnr.wi.gov/org/caer/ce/eek/earth/recycle/rbirds.htm

http://dnr.wi.gov/org/caer/ce/eek/cool/ameliabackyardfeeders.htm

Hands on Crafts for Kids has a flower shaped bird feeder made out of a two liter bottle that is sure to brighten up any snowy backyard this winter:

http://www.craftsforkids.com/projects/1100/1102/1102_2.htm

Lastly, this blog out of Costa Rica has not only an idea for a small juice bottle bird feeder, but also a bird house and an easy way to provide nesting materials for the birds come spring:

http://crquilter.wordpress.com/2010/08/21/making-bird-feeders-from-recycled-stuff/

Some of the projects above a pretty fancy, but you can always simplify them for younger kids or have a special program for families or tweens to make the more involved projects. Collecting the recyclable materials shouldn't be too difficult, just give yourself about a month and ask family, friends, co-workers and patrons to bring in their empty (and clean) milk jugs, juice cartons and soda bottles (big or small) and you should have enough. Read a book or two about birds, hand out a list of the various seeds different species of birds like to eat, have coloring pages of some of your local birds and you have a great program. You could even contact your local park district or Audubon Society and see if a staff member or volunteer is willing to come out and talk a little bit about bird watching, and maybe even take participants on a little walk around the outside of your library to see what bird are hanging out nearby.

Enjoy and happy birding!