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No Frills Easy Birdhouse

Jul 17, 20122,239 views
Nature crafts
No Frills Easy Birdhouse Save

by TurkeyMom in Nature crafts

Ages3–8 yrs
Prep10 min
Activity30 min
Leveleasy
MessLow
Works for1:1 · Small group · Class

Turn an empty milk carton and a bath-tissue roll into a foil-wrapped birdhouse with an entrance hole and a little bench, then hang it outside and watch for visiting birds.

⚠️ Safety first

  • Adult punches out the holes. Cutting through a milk carton with scissors takes force and the blades can slip.
  • Rinse and dry the milk carton well before crafting to remove milk residue, especially if a child has a dairy allergy.
  • Small stones used to weigh down the house are a choking hazard. Supervise young children closely.
  • An adult hangs the finished birdhouse outside.

Before the kids arrive

  • Rinse and dry an empty milk carton for each child.
  • Save an empty bath-tissue roll for each child.

Steps

  1. Draw 2 circles on the carton, one below the other. The top circle is the birdhouse entrance.

  2. For the bottom circle, trace around the outside of the tissue roll. This will hold the bench.

  3. Adult: punch out both circles.

  4. Wrap the tissue roll in foil.

  5. Push the roll into the bottom hole to make a bench for the birds to sing on.

  6. Cover the rest of the carton with foil.

  7. Punch through the foil over the top hole to open up the entrance.

  8. Thread a line through the top of the carton for hanging.

  9. Fill the house with dried leaves and a few stones to make a soft bed and weigh it down.

  10. Hang it outside and watch to see who moves in.

Tips

  • Instead of buying birdhouses and spending $30-$50, we re-used and re-purposed home goods to make a one of a kind home.from the author
  • Help your little helper trace around the outside of the tissue roll so the bench fits snugly in its hole.from the author
  • Remember to punch out the foil to open up the entrance.from the author
  • The stones weigh the house down so it doesn't fly around in the breeze.from the author
  • Let her imagination roll! Foil is just one choice. Color wrappers, markers or stickers all work.from the author
  • Wondering which birds will visit turns into bird watching. Is it a Cardinal, Robin, Chickadee, Blue Jay or a little sparrow? She now knows many different species.from the author

Make it your own

  • Color the entire carton instead of wrapping it in foil.
  • Decorate the carton with stickers or colored wrappers.
  • Build a few bird homes and compare which birds visit each one.
  • Follow up with bird watching and learn to name the species that come by.

The story behind it

By TurkeyMom · July 2012
No Frills Easy Birdhouse
We re-used home goods to make a one of a kind bird home: a milk carton covered in foil, with a foil-wrapped roll for a bench to sing on!
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No Frills Easy Birdhouse: the original post

Here I show how to build a no frills easy birdhouse to home.Thanks to the storm that rolled through our area, “Fixing the damage” is now a big priority and talk in every house. While the adults talk about renovations and rebuilding, my little girl sprung a question. Big S: Where do the birds go mom? Don’t they need to fix their homes too? That was it, birdhouse it is! We decided to build a few “bird homes” and help the birds with their relocation. Instead of buying birdhouses and spending $30-$50 we decided to re-use/re- purpose home goods to make a one of a kind home.

  1. A milk carton
  2. Empty bath-tissue roll
  3. Aluminium foil
  4. Scissors
  5. Pencil
  6. Thread

Ask your little helper to make 2 circles , one below the other, on the carton. The first circle will be the bird house entrance and the second circle ( help her to trace on the outside of the tissue roll) will be for the bench. Punch out the circles. Wrap the roll in the foil and insert it to the second hole . It will be the bench for them to sing on ! Cover the rest of the carton with the foil. Remember to punch out the foil to make the entrance . I used foil , but you can use any material color-wrappers or color the entire carton or decorate with stickers. Let her imagination roll ! Thread a line through the carton and you are all set. My girl had fun filling it up with dried leaves and some stones and make a soft bed for her little birdie to sleep! The stones also weigh them down so they don’t fly around in the breeze. She is excited to see who will enjoy the new home she built… will it be the Cardinals, Robins, Chickadee, BlueJay or the little sparrows???? Well… she now knows many different species and loves bird watching ! A little imagination and creativity makes them want to explore an endless world of knowledge !

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