How to Make a Birdhouse With Seeds

Making a birdhouse with seeds is an easy, if somewhat messy, craft project for children. Kids will need help making the peanut butter glue and hanging the finished birdhouse. Children with peanut allergies can still participate although they will need to wear disposable gloves. Making an edible bird house is a great way to introduce conservation and environmental issues to kids. Edible birdhouses work best as a food supply rather than a potential nesting sight. Although once the seed has been eaten birds will begin to view it as a potential nesting site.

Things You'll Need

• Wood birdhouse any size
• 1 cup peanut butter
• 1/2 cup flour
• 2 tbsp. cornmeal
• Spoon
• Mixing bowl
• Scissors
• Millet sprays
• Sunflower seeds
• Sunflower head with seeds intact
• Birdseed
• Dried corn
• Dried fruit
• Nuts

Instructions

1. Select your birdhouse. It can be made out of any material, but if you want to reuse the birdhouse select a material that will withstand gentle washing with soap and water. It should also have a door that gives access to the inside allowing you to remove old nesting material.

2. Mix 1 cup of peanut butter, 1/2 cup of flour and 2 tbsp. of cornmeal together. This is the "glue" that will hold the seeds to the house. Birds enjoy peanut butter and will eat the "glue" along with the seeds. For large birdhouses you might need to make several batches of peanut butter glue.

3. Working in sections, coat the areas you want seeds with the peanut butter glue. It's less messy if you start with the roof and work your way down.

4. Be creative. Make patterns alternating sunflower seeds and nuts with dried fruit. Use millet sprays around the entrance hole and as pillars on the corners of the birdhouse. Or, liberally sprinkle the whole house with prepared birdseed.

5. Gently hang or mount your edible birdhouse in an area where you can see the birds enjoying their new home but that is inaccessible to predators.

Tips & Warnings

• You can use an edible birdhouse all year, but the peanut butter glue works best in cooler months. To reuse your birdhouse: after the majority of seeds have been eaten, just wash the house in mild soap and warm water. Let it dry thoroughly.

• Sunlight can make metal birdhouses' surface warm enough to melt the peanut butter glue.