Imagine spending a quiet afternoon watching birds stop by for a quick lunch. All you have to do is hang your homemade soda bottle bird feeder, sit back and let the birds entertain you. This is a quick and easy project, which is a great way to teach kids to build something useful [source: PBS].

To build your soda bottle bird feeder, you'll need the following items.

  • Twine
  • Marker
  • One-liter soda bottle, clean and dry
  • Small-eye screw
  • Two wooden spoons
  • Utility knife

Here's how to build the bird feeder:

  1. Lay out all your supplies on a flat surface [source: Do It Yourself].
  2. Draw a ½-inch (12.7-millimeters) asterisk on the bottle, about 4 inches (101.6 millimeters) from the bottom.
  3. Turn the bottle a bit and draw another asterisk 2 inches (50.8 millimeters) from the bottom.
  4. Draw a 1-inch (25.4-millimeters) circle directly opposite each asterisk.
  5. Slit the lines of each asterisk and cut out both circles with the utility knife.
  6. Insert a wooden spoon handle through each hole and its corresponding asterisk.
  7. Remove the bottle cap.
  8. Screw the eye-screw into the top of the cap from the outside, and tie a length of twine to it.
  9. Fill the bottle halfway with birdseed [source: PBS].
  10. Replace the cap and hang the bottle from a tree [source: Disney Family Fun].

Now just sit back and watch. Be patient -- it may initially take a while for the birds to come.