If you have to cut away your yoghurt pot to remove it, don’t forget to recycle it.Make sure you pick somewhere away from cats.If you find the mixture isa bit crumbly, next time add a little more fat and fewer dry ingredients.Have you ever wanted to have a go at brewing cider, learning to read a compass or making a home for wildlife? Follow one of our many how to guides and become an expert in something new in no time.Find out how you can spot these feathered friends in your garden or on a walk and learn how to help the birds, whether you’re in a town, city or the countryside.Also, birds need lots of energy-rich food to maintain fat reserves, which are called upon most when temperatures drop.Providing a winter food source for birds is not only a great way to help your local wildlife; encouraging birds to visit your garden will supply you with plenty of interest during the winter months.Melt the lard or suet in a saucepan, then add it to your dry ingredients and stir until everything is well mixed.Supervise children very carefully while doing this.I let mine do some mixing, but handle the heating and pouring myself to avoid any risk of burns.Once your ingredients are well-mixed, leave them to cool a little while you prepare your paper cups.This will make the mixture safer to handle, but will also mean you get less leakage.Use a pencil to make a small hole in the bottom of each paper cup, and thread the string through.Tie a double knot in the string at the base of the cup, on the outside.Its a good idea to put a small circle of cardboard with a hole in the centre at the bottom before tying the knot, this will help stop the feeder slipping off the string.Fill the cup with your food mixture, making sure to pack it down quite tightly.Try to keep the string in the middle of the cup.Once youve filled all your cups, put them in the fridge to set.This can take quite a while; we usually leave ours overnight.When the mixture is set, you can cut away the cup.This can be a bit fiddly, so its best left to the adults and older children.Have some kitchen roll handy too, youll get quite greasy!The knotted string is at the bottom of the feeder.Use the string at the other end to hang it up outdoors.Remember to position your homemade bird feeders where you can see them from the house, and out of the reach of cats.Once your homemade bird feeders are in position, you could try making a diary of the bird varieties who visit.This is a fun extension of the activity for kids, and also a nice way to maintain interest in the garden over the winter months.If youd like to try making some different shapes of bird feeder, check out my other post on FUN BIRD FEEDERS.Our local birds clearly think they taste better!You may also find that once you start providing homemade bird feeders, more and more birds will visit your garden.Will need to make these with the Grand kids.The birds just love homemade treats.My eldest will enjoy it and will love watching the birds eat it.Regardless, they look so sweet hanging in the yard.We are going to try a few of these as a change and may just do what we were doing along with this new idea.I love to watch the birds and squirrels on my back yard as I have breakfast in the AM.Hang on branches near a window.It is better than grocery store lard! Im in a rural area so many small towns around us have lockers.Not Sure If Northerns Would Know How To Use It Unless They Were Originally From Or Lived Near A Southern State.How do you keep the fat from running out the bottom of the cup.We stand our pots in a shallow, flat-bottomed dish until theyve set.Ive thought of making these as I buy suet packs for my woodpecker feeder.I have lard we are hog farmers.Do you only use these in the winter when it is freezing? If I only use lard, it will melt in sunshine.I have a recipe somewhere that I got from the internet.So do a search for no melt bird balls or suet cakes.I agree with vonyon, the best bird feeders are the ones you grow, but good quality and carefuly picked seed makes all the difference.Perhaps add the melted fat gradually and stop if the mixture begins to look very liquid.Love the detail of your post and I think this is a lovely tip to get them involved in the garden in a fun and hands on way.Welcome to Growing Family, a top UK home & garden blog sharing ideas, inspiration and tips for making the most of busy family life, indoors and out.I love watching the birds and squirrels outside my window.These Bird Seed Ornaments are a great Fall Craft to enjoy with your kiddos.Did you know that if you feed the.Sounds like what we are all looking for this spring and summer.As the weather warms up, nature comes alive and all sorts of creatures come out.This is the perfect time to observe some wild birds.This kid made bird seed wreath can help feed the birds while they enjoy watching them.After the birds are fed make this Bird feeder made from a coffee container Bird SuetDiy Bird Feeder Suet For BirdsHomemade Suet Recipe Feeding Birds In Winter Suet CakesHomemade Bird Houses Bird House KitsBird AviaryDescribes which seed types to use for feeding wild birds to attract specific species and provides an easy homemade suet recipe.These little guys are handier for more than hydration.But I get bored with the same old stuff you find at the box stores I love the idea of making bird feeders because its an easy project even for beginners, and also because I think it makes the connection with nature stronger when you have had a hand in it.And since I love things that are just a little bit unique, here are our top picks for creative DIY bird feeders that any gardener can make for their feathered buds.All of these have tutorials with great step by step instructions, and some of these would be fun to make as a family as well.Loving on this geometric DIY bird feeder from Zest It Up.And, it uses upcycled materials, so its earth friendly!Use an old log or branch to create this suet bird feeder.Perfect for birds that cling to trees like chickadees, bluebirds and woodpeckers.Make a DIY mason jar bird feeder with these easy directions from Country Chic Cottage.Only three ingredients are needed to make these easy DIY bird feeder cakes for your feathered friends.