How to make a mason jar bird feeder

Mason jars are often used to store human food, but did you know they're a way to feed birds as well? Transform a mason jar into a bird feeder to keep feathered friends fed and flocking to your yard.

This project is easy enough to make with your kids, and I bet your whole family will enjoy spotting the birds that fly into your yard once they discover the new feeder. Watch the video and read the instructions to learn how to make your own.

Materials
- Heavy gauge craft wire
- Wire cutters
- Brown modeling clay
- Clay sculpting tool
- Green modeling clay
- Plate or cutting board covered in tinfoil
- Mason jar with screw-on band
- Hot glue gun
- Square, low-sided wooden crate
- Decorative keys
- String
- Bird food

Instructions
1. Cut a piece of wire to approximately the same length as the height of the mason jar and straighten it out.

2. Form brown modeling clay around the wire to form a tree trunk.

3. Use additional brown clay to shape four tree branches, and attach them to the trunk.

4. Give the trunk and the branches some texture with a clay sculpting tool.

5. Shape leaves out of the green clay and carefully attach them to the tree branches. Transfer the tree onto a tinfoil-covered plate and set aside to dry.

6. Cut another piece of wire and use your fingers to bend it into waves. Make it into a circle the same size as the mason jar band.

7. Place a ring of hot glue on the top of the mason jar band and attach on the piece of wavy metal.

8. Hot glue the band to the bottom of the wooden crate with the wavy wire facing down.

9. Embellish the box by hot gluing decorative keys along one of the edges.

10. Tie a piece of string to each corner of the box so you can hang it.

11. Hot glue the clay tree to the back of the box.

12. Fill the mason jar with bird food, screw it onto the band and shake the box so that some of the food spills out through the holes.