Milk Carton to Simple Bird Feeder

Here's a simple design that's easy for kids to make (with adult supervision), and is a crafty way to reuse old milk cartons or cereal boxes to create something useful.

Supplies

The supplies you'll need for this project are:

Milk carton (or cereal box); make sure the milk carton is washed and dried overnight so that the inside isn't soft.
Leftover string, I use 5 mm crochet string.
Box cutter
Scissors
Straight edge/ruler
Black pen
Optional: paint brushes, your choice of acrylic paint, sandpaper.

Trace Out the Side Holes

Take a black pen and trace out rectangles along all sides of the carton. You can eyeball this like I did as exact measurements aren't needed, however using a straight edge can help with creating straight lines that you will later cut on.

Cut Out the Rectangles

Using the box cutter, slowly cut along the lines you drew in the previous step. Be very careful as you go along the lines, and here is why drying the box out was an important pre-requisite. If the box remains wet from the inside, as you're cutting the rectangles out the box will start to cave in on itself and won't be able to form back to its original shape.

Cut Out an Opening for the String

Using the box cutter, cut out a cross shape along the milk carton opposite to where the opening and cap is. Use the back end of a paint brush to push the hole open further and make a better opening for the string to pass through.

Cut, Feed Through, and Tie the String

Cut the string to any desired length, however too long will cause the feeder's walls to weaken over time. After you cut the string, feed it through the opening you cut and then back out through the cap opening. Once the end comes out from the cap opening, tie the two ends of the string together with a double knot.

Finished!

And now your feeder is done! This in itself will function just fine, however if you choose, you can lightly sand down the wax layer off the carton, and then use the paint brush and some acrylic paint to create your own designs on the feeder. Place the food at the bottom of the carton, and make sure it doesn't overflow through the sides of the carton. Enjoy your new feeder!