Make a butterfly feeder

What you will need:Using only a handful of household items, you can help your children create their very own butterfly feeder that will help your local butterflies while teaching creativity and kindness to animals.

• A clean plastic bottle and cap
• Some string or garden wire
• Sugar and water
• Pliers or scissors
• A small nail or drawing pin

How to make your DIY butterfly feeder

Step one: Cut about 20xm of string or wire and place the neck of the bottle in the middle of the string/wire. Twist the wire (or tie the string) around the bottleneck until it is held tightly. Tie or twist the ends of the string/wire to make a loop so you can hang the bottle up by its neck.

Step two: Using the nail/drawing pin, carefully make two holes in the bottom of the bottle. Try to make the holes as small as possible!

Step three: Place the bottle in a bowl and pour sugar water into the bottle. To make sugar water, dissolve some sugar in warm water. Don't make it to sweet - one part sugar to ten part water should be just right. Fix the cap back on the bottle and carry the bowl and bottle outside, to avoid making a mess.

Step four: Hang your bottle outside in an area where you may have seen butterflies nearby. The sugar water will slowly drip out of the bottle and the butterflies will be able to drink from the puddle it makes on the ground. Try and place the feeder in a place where the butterflies will be protected from predators, for example away from trees and bushes where cats and birds can hide.

Step five: Watch as butterflies enjoy the feeder you have kindly made for them. As always, remember to dispose of the bottle carefully once the feeder is empty.