Build Your Own Pumpkin Bird Feeder

A carved pumpkin makes a great bird feeder! These step-by-step instructions will show you how to build your very own pumpkin bird feeder.

Materials

• One leftover pumpkin
• Wooden barbeque skewers
• Garden twine
• Birdseed

Instructions

1. Cut a pumpkin into the shape of a shallow bowl.
2. Stick three or four barbeque skewers through the pumpkin shell. The skewers should go through as much pumpkin flesh as possible so they don’t wiggle. Leave one or two inches of one end of each skewer sticking out of the pumpkin.
3. Tie a piece of twine to each one of the skewers. Take the opposite ends of the twine and tie them together to make a hanger.
4. Hang the pumpkin birdfeeder outside. Put one or two handfuls of birdseed inside the bowl.
5. Watch the feeder to see who comes to visit!
6. When the bowl is empty, or after three or four days have passed, toss what’s left of your birdfeeder into the compost.

This activity is just one part of the Young Explorers page featured in the Fall 2016 issue of Explore.

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