Make a Recycled Twig Birdhouse

What You Need:

• Small 1-quart milk carton
• Twigs
• Hot glue gun
• Small juice glass
• Marker
• Scissors
• Whole punch

What You Do:

1. Head outside with your child and pick up some twigs from around your yard and neighborhood. While out for the nature walk, your child can get a closer look at any birds native to your area! She can do some more research about native birds at your local library or on the Internet if she wishes.
2. Invite your child to use a ruler to measure the sides of the carton to help determine how long her twigs should be. She can also give the milk carton a good rinse to make sure it’s clean before beginning the project.
3. Now she can use the ruler to measure the twigs and then cut them with scissors so she has a good stack of twigs for her birdhouse. While she’s measuring and cutting, your child can also plug in the hot glue gun to get warmed up.
4. Before beginning to cover the milk carton, invite your child to cut a small hole in one side of the carton for the birds to get in and out of their new home! If she needs help tracing, have her use a small juice glass as a stencilfor the hole.
5. Have her use a hole punch to make a hole at the top of the carton, to use for hanging later.
6. Now your child can begin attaching the twigs to the birdhouse, working slowly and gluing the twigs as close together as possible so none of the milk carton shows through!
7. When she gets to the side with the hole cut out, have her cut the twigs to fit around the hole, and also the hole at the top of the carton.
8. Once her birdhouse is finished, she can thread a string through the top hole and hang in a tree where she can see which birds decide to call it their new home!