February is National Bird Feeder Month and the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources encourages everyone to turn their recycling into bird feeders.  It's a great idea, especially if you and the kids are looking for things to do together.

According to Environmental Education for Kids, there a many household items that can be used to  help make bird feeders.  These include milk jugs, milk cartons, coffee cans, pie tins, jar lids (for tracing circles), and sticks or dowels.

They also offer instructions on how to make a basic milk jug bird feeder:

You'll need a gallon or half-gallon plastic jug, small wooden doweling rods, and string to hang the feeder. Cut two or three holes in the middle of the jug. The holes should be between two and four inches wide depending on the type of birds you want to attract. Then make smaller holes below the feeding holes for the doweling rod. Take each rod and insert it into the smaller hole for a perch. Fill the feeder with seed and hang it in a nearby tree.

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The video above, produced by #MommyHacks provides a good visual on the process and what a milk jug bird feeder looks like.

You can do a quick Google search for other ideas using the items listed, just make sure to always make holes at the bottom of any style bird feeder to allow water to drain out of it. You'll also want to make sure you keep them clean to avoid birds getting sick.

Once built, you can decide what type of birdseed you'd like to use to attract the birds you want.  If you have a lot of recycling materials available, you could make extra bird feeders to give to neighbors or donate to nursing homes.

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