A Homemade Hummingbird Feeder for Kids

Materials

• Keep your hummingbird feeder simple for kids by using easy-to-find materials. You need an empty plastic water or soda bottle, a small plastic food container with a lid (small deli containers or reusable snack containers are good choices) and some string. You also need something to decorate the feeder with, either paint or paper and foil to make flowers. Finally, you will need scissors and an exacto knife. Be sure to assist young children with the cutting instruments.

Construction

• Use the exacto knife to cut an "X" in the lid of the plastic container. Pierce four or five small holes around the edges of the lid. Pierce two more holes close to the bottom of the water bottle and also cut a small flap on the bottom of the bottle with the scissors. Cut a length of string long enough to hang the feeder from a tree branch, and string it through the holes in the water bottle. Place the lid back on the plastic container and push the neck of the inverted water bottle through the hole. Finally, either paint some small flowers around the holes of the container lid or fold some colored paper or foil to look like flowers and tape them to the feeder. You can also wrap some red duct tape around the water bottle to attract hummingbirds.

Nectar

• You need to make a nectar solution to fill your feeder. Mix one cup of water with 1/4 cup of white sugar and mix until the sugar has dissolved. Carefully pour the nectar solution into the flap you cut on the bottom of the water bottle, which is now the top of the feeder. Top off the nectar level periodically as the hummingbirds feed from the feeder. Empty and clean out the feeder and refill it with fresh nectar solution two or three times a month.

Observation

• Hang the feeder from a tree or the roof above your porch. Hang the feeder at eye level so that you child can easily see the birds as they come to feed. Encourage your child to watch for hummingbirds. Since hummingbirds tend to be shy, watch quietly so that the birds do not notice you. Ask your child to write a report about the birds that visit the feeder or sketch the birds in his journal.