Fabulous Feeders: Warning Very Enticing to Squirrels!

One of the great projects we completed this winter was a feeder for the birds.  This simple project is a great way to connect your Cubs to nature even when it may be cold out.  With peanut allergies being extremely prominent these days, I was on a quest to find a feeder that was allergen free for the boys. 

Here are the ingredients you will need:

• Pinecones
• String (1 yard per feeder)
• Shortening
• Oatmeal
• Bird Seed (we used song bird feed)
• Aluminum Pie Plate
• Disposable Bowls
• Spoons
• Food Storage bags or Ziplocs

To make these feeders, give each boy a bowl with 1/2 cup shortening and 1/2 cup oats.  Fill pie plates with bird seed.  Have the boys thoroughly mix their oats and shortening.  Then, have the boys tie the string to the pinecone (great opportunity to practice tying those square knots).  You want to make sure the string is tied under a few of the pinecone scales for added support.  Next, clump on the shortening mixture to fully cover the cone.  Once this is complete, roll pinecones to cover in bird seed.  I recommend you have some type of bag on hand for the boys to transport their feeders home.  This can be a bit messy so be sure you have a dust pan or vacuum on hand for clean up.  My den loves using the dust pan and did most of the clean up for me.

We have thoroughly enjoyed watching our feeder and have since made several more.  It is quite entertaining to watch the squirrels dangling upside down and pulling them up.  One was completely removed from its string, but we have also observed several birds snacking with the squirrels: Northern Cardinals, Dark-Eyed Juncos, Purple Finch, White-Breasted Sparrows and more.  Pick up a bird guide from your local library for birds common to your region before hanging your feeders.  I brought books for the boys to look through at our den meeting so they could learn to identify birds they might see.

The following are requirements you can complete with this feeder project: 

Tiger Elective 32: Make a Bird Feeder
Wolf Elective 13e: Feed Wild Birds and Tell Which You Fed
                       13a: Make a List of Birds You Saw in a Week
                       13d: Point Out 10 Different Kinds of Birds
Bear Achievement 5b: Make a Bird Feeder and Hang It
Webelos Naturalist Badge 5: Watch Birds in Your Yard for a Week and Identify
Wolf, Bear and Webelos: World Conservation Award

Bird House Fun!

Last week, we continued working on Achievement 5 Tools for Fixing and Building and Elective 13 Birds  for Wolves and made bird houses.  We are continuing to work on our World Conservation Award.

Carpentry is definitely not my strong suit so I reached out to my Cub Scout families and found a dad who was into carpentry.  I gave him a plan and he had a prototype complete the next day and a son who was so excited to have made a bird house with his dad.  As a leader, we all have our strengths and weaknesses.  When you reach an activity that may fall into your weakness category, this is the best time to reach out to your families or outside resources. 

I found the plans for the birdhouse at my local library, but there are also great resources online.  We recommend precutting and drilling holes for the boys prior to the meeting and making sets for each boy.  The boys assembled the bird houses hammering and sanding the pieces which was a perfect amount for our meeting time.  Be sure to have safety goggles (kids' sizes available at your local big box hardware store) available for each child.  I have added these items to my leader box for future projects.  Each child brought their own hammer.  When doing this activity with older scouts, you may want to leave more for them to do.

This activity is also appropriate for:
Bear Achievement 5: Sharing Your World With Wildlife
Webelos Actvity Badge: Craftsman