Introduction: Recycled Materials Hummingbird Feeder (Lil Kid Friendly)

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This guide gives instructions for adults to support their kids as they make a hummingbird feeder! These instructions are meant to assist adults in helping kids complete this project. Try to give advice and tips to help the kids complete the project, but avoid pulling the project out of their hands and doing it for them. The end hummingbird feeder is not the goal, but learning how to do all the steps along the way mostly on their own is!

Step 1: Materials

Collect your materials. Including a plastic water bottle, a straw, a piece of vinyl, and a piece of wire.

Step 2: Adding the Straws

Place the straw through one of the two holes on the sides of your bottle.

Step 3: Adding the Straws

Trim the straw so that only about a half-inch sticks out of the hole.

Step 4: Adding the Straws

Use the leftover straw piece for the other hole. This piece may have a section of the straw that can flex, just use gentle hands to firmly push the straw through.

Step 5: Creating a 'flower' to Attract the Hummingbirds

Locate the square of red sticker vinyl in your kit. And hole punch two holes in it. Kids under 5 may need help with this step.

We are using red, because red is very 'attractive' to the birds!

Step 6: Creating a 'flower' to Attract the Hummingbirds

Flip the sticker over and draw shapes around the two hole punches. Triangles will be the easiest shape to draw and cut, circles a step harder, and flower shapes even more difficult. Allow kids to be creative, some might want to do a totally different shape. That is ok!

Step 7: Creating a 'flower' to Attract the Hummingbirds

Next, cut those shapes out.

Step 8: Creating a 'flower' to Attract the Hummingbirds

Peel off the paper back of the sticker. Kids may need help with this step.

Step 9: Creating a 'flower' to Attract the Hummingbirds

Now place the sticker over the straw hole. The hole punch creates a hole that perfectly fits the straw. It's ok if the sticker gets stuck to something else accidentally. It can be pulled off and reapplied a few times. Also, hummingbirds don’t mind if the sticker isn’t placed perfectly.

Step 10: Creating a 'flower' to Attract the Hummingbirds

Now place the other sticker over the other straw hole.

Step 11: Hanging the Feeder

Locate the piece of wire in your kit.

Step 12: Hanging the Feeder

Think of a way for the feeder to be hung with the wire. The method below is only one idea of how to hang the feeder! Kids will find their own creative method for adding the wire to the bottle.

With this method, fold the wire in half and pull it around the bottle underneath the lid. Then, tie a knot in the wire. Take one of the ends and loop it over the top and back through the wire around the lid.

Step 13: Final Touches

Your design is complete. Just add nectar to the bottle up to where the holes on your bottle are.

Ingredients for Nectar:
Refined white sugar and Water

Directions for making safe nectar: Mix 1 part sugar with 4 parts water (for example, 1 cup of sugar with 4 cups of water) until the sugar is dissolved

Do not add red dye

Always use refined white sugar (regular table sugar). Never use honey, corn syrup or raw, unprocessed sugars.
Powdered sugar (also called confectioners' sugar) often contains additional ingredients, such as cornstarch. Therefore, it is not recommended for use in creating hummingbird food.

Fill your hummingbird feeders with the sugar water and place them outside

Extra sugar water can be stored in a refrigerator

Change feeders every other day and thoroughly clean them each time to prevent harmful mold growth

Step 14: Extra Information About Hummingbirds in Colorado

What kinds of hummingbirds will visit my feeder in Broomfield? The most likely visitor to your yard is the Broad-tailed Hummingbird. The males have a ruby red throat and green head and back. You might also see a Rufous Hummingbird, a rusty colored hummingbird who visits in July and August to Colorado. Other common visitors are the Calliope or Black-chinned hummingbirds.

Visit the Bird Conservancy of the Rockies to find out how to attract even more hummingbirds to your yard!

Want help identifying other birds in your yard? Visit ALLABOUTBIRDS.ORG.