When you have a toddler running around you always have to have some sort of craft to keep them busy while secretly trying to teach them something. The bird feeder works on fine motor skills and the painting is eye hand coordination. We did the bird feeder last year, but I do plan to do it again using a different shape.
For the painting, I love the idea of using the cotton balls and clothespins (you could also use pompoms I just didn’t have any on hand). The clean up is so much easier that washing brushes, simply toss the cotton balls and you are done!