Make an Orange Cup Bird Feeder

Got a bird fancier on your hands? Bring the birds to your backyard by making a scrumptious bird feeder using an orange, string, and wooden knitting needle. Part craft, part science experiment, this activity is a fun, hands-on way to get your kids excited about life science.

What You Need:

• Half an orange
• 2 pieces of string, 36” (1 m) long
• Large plastic needle with blunt end
• Knitting needle
• Large cork

What You Do:

1. Help your child thread the plastic needle with one piece of string.
2. Insert the needle into the orange about ½” (13 mm) from the top (the sliced edge), and push it all the way through to the other side. Pull the string through until it's even on both sides.
3. Remove the needle from the string and thread the plastic needle with the second piece of string, and repeat step 2, rotating the orange 90 degrees so the strings form an X through the orange.
4. Tie the four string ends together.
5. To make a perch for the birds, insert the knitting needle in the orange between two of the strings and push it through until it pokes out the other end.
6. Push a cork over the pointed end of the knitting needle.
7. Now find a good spot to hang the feeder. Look for a sturdy tree branch that has plenty of room around it for birds to move in and out.
8. Check the orange every few days with your child to see how the birds are liking their feeder. Do certain birds like the feeder more than others?