Science is for the Birds! and the little squirrels to!

Joe will be so happy when he finds out that I actually put all those toilet paper rolls I have been saving to good use. We finally got out to do our big science experiment. The scientific question the ladies and I were out to answer was - What kind of bird feeder will our local birds prefer. We constructed three different bird feeders from recycled products around the house and then hung them from the bushes out our back window where we like to watch the birds.

The 3 feeders we decided to construct came from three separate sources. We used Pinterest, a mom friend of mine Susan (S.M.) and an old one from my old girl scout days. I have wanted to do this with the girls for a while and so glad we finally had the opportunity!

At first I saw the pinterest one and liked and saved it for an activity to do with the girls. Then I saw that Susan did something similar and added that to the grand plan along with the one I remember doing as a kid. So then since I wanted to do all three I had to add the experimental twist just for fun.

The girls had fun building them, pouring the water and seeds, and hanging them up. Results from day one proved interesting...the first birdfeeder to be emptied was the Cheerio/pipe cleaner one I stole from Susans brain. The interesting part was that it was gone in about a half hour and was consumed by a squirrel. Always have to take precautions for the unknown...see learning about the experimental process early!

What the squirrels left us!

Unfortunately the rain came that night and kind of washed out our work but there are still some seeds left. Think we will try again when the weather decides to stay dry for more than a day.

But we still had a blast! Check it out:

Bird feeder 1- Needed pipe cleaner and Cheerios. Great for motor skills! Add Cheerios to wire and twist closed. Then place on tree and wait for squirrels.

Bird feeder 2- Need a cup of sorts and string. I adapted this one from Pinterest but instead of using a tuna can I used plastic from disposable cupcake tins. The top was for a 6 pack of cupcakes and I cut it in threes attaching string to the sides. Cutting it in threes allowed us to have water and food for the birds.

Bird feeder 3 - Needed toilet paper roll, creamy peanut butter, and a knife/spoon. This one I did in girl scouts. Smooth peanut butter over tub and allow kids to roll toilet paper roll in seeds to cover. String a ribbon in the hole and hang.