Kids Craft: Easy Recycled Birdhouse

Recycle a cardboard milk carton into a cozy home for the feathered friends inhabiting your yard in just a few minutes with a simple birdhouse craft. With a little help from a parent and some inexpensive craft supplies, many of which you probably already have, you can rescue the milk carton from the trash and draw birds near so you can observe them. You can even use items from your yard to further decorate the birdhouse.

Materials
Cardboard milk carton
Ruler
Craft knife
Acrylic paint
Paintbrush
3-inch-long 3/8-inch-diameter wooden dowel
Craft glue
Nail
Hammer
18-inch piece of yarn

Step 1

Cut a circular hole in one side of the cardboard milk carton with a craft knife. Make the hole about 2 inches in diameter and halfway up the height of the carton.

Step 2

Paint the milk carton with acrylic paint. Let each coat dry before adding another. More than one coat may be necessary to get good coverage on the carton, depending on the color you choose.

Step 3

Attach the 3-inch long wooden dowel an inch below the bottom of the hole with craft glue. Use a generous amount of craft glue and hold the dowel for 10 to 15 minutes while the craft glue begins to set. Lay the birdhouse down with the hole side facing up to make this step easier.

Step 4

Punch a hole through the flap at the top of the carton's point with a nail and hammer. Thread a 18-inch-long piece of yarn through the hole to hang the birdhouse from.

Warnings and Tips:

Further decorate the outside of your birdhouse with sticks, rocks and fake moss attached with craft glue.

A parent should do the entire craft knife cutting, punch the hole in the top of the house with hammer and nail for the child.