# Sweet Potato Bird
> Turn a forgotten, bird-shaped sweet potato into a feathered bird by drawing eyes and wings with a marker, then gluing on feathers and googly eyes. It's a quick, child-led nature craft that saves an unlucky veggie from the back of the cabinet.
- URL: https://www.funlittles.com/sweet-potato-bird/
- Ages: 3–8 yrs · Difficulty: easy · Mess: low
- Time: prep 5 min, activity 20 min
- Works for: one-on-one, small group, whole class · one batch serves about 1 kids
- Skills: creativity, imagination, fine-motor, drawing
- Cautions: ingestion-risk

## Materials (one batch)
- 1 piece Sweet potato (an old, shriveled one shaped like a bird) (household)
- 1 piece Marker (household)
- 1 piece White school glue
- Colorful craft feathers
- 2 piece Googly eyes

## Safety
- Googly eyes are small parts and a choking hazard. Supervise closely with young children.
- Once the sweet potato is drawn on and glued, it's a craft, not food. Don't cook or eat it.
- Supervise glue use and wash hands after the craft.

## Before you start
- Look through the pantry or vegetable bin for a sweet potato with a bird-like shape (older, shriveled ones work well).

## Steps
1. Find a sweet potato that looks like a bird.
2. Draw eyes and wings on the sweet potato with a marker.
3. Set out glue, feathers and googly eyes.
4. Glue feathers onto the bird's body.
5. Stick on the googly eyes.
6. Let the glue dry before playing with your bird.

## Tips
- The forgotten veggie that rolls away to the very end of the cabinet is the one to look for. Ours was a shriveled sweet potato that looked just like a bird, or a seal maybe.
- Let the kids lead. I didn't have to explain anything: as soon as the glue, feathers and googly eyes came out, she squealed "Cool! We can stick feathers and googly eyes."
- Veggies you can't eat or give away can be used for stamping too. (from readers)

## The original post by TurkeyMom (2012)

I always feel sorry for the potatoes, sweet potatoes and onions in my kitchen. They almost always get left out, forgotten because they are tucked away in a dark cabinet under the stove. There is always one unlucky vegetable (may be lucky?) who rolls away from the rest of his family and hides at the very end of the cabinet. One day big A found one such guy. A shriveled up sweet potato lying around untouched. She immediately exclaimed. “Mom. this one looks like a bird., or a seal may be” Can I keep it? Daddy B interjects : Please do so, before she cooks that one for lunch! (I’m very notorious for not wasting food) Big A: It does look like a bird Dashes off and comes back with a marker. Starts drawing eyes and wings on the bird.

 It truly was so creative that we ended up elaborating it a little bit further. *Here is what we did.* After Big A had a ball drawing wings and eyes on the sweet potato, I set out some glue, feather and googly to finish up what she started

 I didn’t have to explain anything to her. She squealed “ Cool! We can stick feathers and googly eyes” And that’s all we did. Sticks feathers on the body and attached eyes. Tada!

 Have you made crafts with fruits or veggies? I would love some feedback. Shared on
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