How To Make A Bird House Out Of Paper

Teaching your kids how to make a bird house out of paper can not only be a great bonding experience for you and your children, it can also provide shelter for some of your favorite birds.

A Great Bird House Project for Kids

The basic technique to make a bird house from paper is to use the fun and time honored paper mache method. Here's what you'll need:

• A half gallon sturdy milk carton
• Masking tape
• Old Newspaper
• Stapler
• 4 cups Flour
• 4 cups Water
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon (optional)
• 1 teaspoon Salt
• Clothes hanger
• Scissors
• Bucket
• Non-toxic poster paint(s) - your choice of colors

Step 1: Make the bird house form.

Empty the milk carton.  Open the top of the milk carton and clean the insides of it thoroughly. Dry the insides. Staple the milk carton to keep it shut tight and cover the staples with masking tape.

Step 2: Cut an entrance hole in the milk carton.

Using the scissors, cut an entrance hole in the milk carton. The size of the hole and its distance from the bottom of the milk carton will be determined by the type of bird you are trying to attract.

Step 3: Make the paper mache paste that will hold the paper together.

Everyone has their own recipe for making paper mache paste. This is one of the simpler ones that is cheap and lets your children be involved in making it. Add the water and flour to the bucket and mix them together well. Try to make the mixture as lump free as possible. If you want the paste to have a pleasant fragrance, add the cinnamon. Finally add the salt - this reduces the chance of the paste developing mold.

Step 4: Tear your newspaper into strips.

Step 5: Paper the bird house form (i.e., the milk carton) and let it dry

Taking one piece of newspaper at a time, dip it into the bucket of paste making sure to wet it thoroughly. Take it out and squeeze the excess moisture out and lay the strip over the bird house form. Complete this process until the bird house form is completely covered - except for the entrance hole.

To make the bird house sturdier you can add another layer. If you do this, make sure the previous layer is completely dry before putting the second layer on. If you need more paste, simply make it according to the above directions.

Step 6: Paint the bird house.

Using the non-toxic poster paints, paint the bird house.

Step 7: Using a pen or pencil, punch drainage holes in the bottom for water to drain out. Punch hole in the top to let heat and condensation escape and also to hang the bird house from.

Step 8: Loop the clothes hanger through the top hole

You can hang the bird house from a tree branch preferably in a spot where you and the kids can watch it from indoors.

Making a bird house out of paper is a great, fun, easy project to do with your kids and one they'll remember with fond memories for a long time.

How To Build A Bird House
Learning how to build a bird house is not at all difficult if you can follow simple plans.

How To Hang A Bird House
Once your bird house is built, you have to decide where to hang it. Learning how to hang a bird house is an activity that you and your entire family can participate in together.

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