Supplies:

• Trays (one for each child)
• Containers
• Milk/ juice cartons - empty and cleaned out (save any caps for owl eyes)
• Compass with pencil
• Craft knife or box cutter (Counselors Only!)
• Craft gloss & colorful tissue paper -OR- Paint & Brushes
• Colorful card stock
• Colorful buttons (garden design only)‍
• Wooden spoons or chopsticks
• Kid scissors
• Rulers
• Wood clipper (Counselors Only!)‍
• Twine
• Adhesive (tape, glue dots, etc.)‍
• Stickers, gems, etc.
• Hot glue gun (Counselors Only!)

Prep/ Set Up Details:

• Pre-cut the birdhouse door in each clean juice carton
• Pre-cut 1 inch squares of tissue paper
• Prepare a tray for each child with: a clean juice carton
• Organize all shared supplies in containers (e.g., paper, adhesives, spoons/sticks, etc.)
• Prepare a few relevant fun facts or questions to enrich the activity discussion!
  • Nutrition is just as important for birds as it is for us! When you decide what kind of food to leave for birds who visit your birdhouse, talk to your parents about getting some bird feed, seeds, or nuts that are safe!
  • What kinds of birds do you usually see around your home?  
  • Did you know that some birds are thought to be descendants of the T-Rex?!

Preparing for younger children (ages 3-6)

• Pre-cut the birdhouse door and decorative elements (e.g. 1 inch squares of tissue paper)
• Pre-assemble the roof shingles or having the kids draw their roof onto the card stock
• Opt for less messy options (e.g. stickers, glue dots, etc.)
  

Preparing for older children (ages 7+) 

• Allow them to do (almost) all the steps themselves (no box cutters/ wood clippers)
• Consider more sophisticated options (e.g. glitter, etc.)

Activity Instructions:

Counselor(s) Prep (30 minutes before)

Doors Open (5 minutes before)

Gather (right on time)

• When all children are seated, welcome everyone!
• Introduce yourself and any other Counselors assisting the activity
• Give children a brief overview of what to expect and show children a completed “demo” or what the final product of this craft can look like
• Briefly review the tools they’ll be using and highlight any tools/techniques that require either (1) special care or (2) direct Counselor intervention
  • E.g. “Scissor edges can be sharp, so take care to always grab them by their handles and set them down gently every time!”
  • OR - “The roof of this birdhouse requires some stronger hot glue, so Counselor ABCD will help you when you get to that part!”

Icebreaker (5 minutes)

• We’re going to play Nice to Meet Ya!
• Instruct all children and Counselors to sit in a circle
• Go around the circle having each participant tell everyone their name and their favorite type of bird, or a bird they have seen recently.
• Counselors can go first to set an example for children 

Craft (25 minutes)

1. Build and design your birdhouse:
   1. Use a compass to draw a 2-inch hole in your birdhouse for the door (hint: set the compass open to 1-inch to draw a 2-inch hole)
      • Use a kraft knife or box cutter to carefully cut out the door
      • Safety Reminder: The box cutter is the recommended tool for this step, but should never be in the hands of children - this is a Counselor task. 
   2. If the carton has a spout opening, remove the cap and push the opening inside
   3. Design it!
      • Cut 1-inch squares of different colors of tissue paper - coat each side of the carton with craft gloss and cover with tissue paper. Layer a few times to fully cover the birdhouse.
      • -OR- simply coat the birdhouse with paint and allow it to dry
        
2. Create a roof for your birdhouse:
   1. Cut a 4x8 inch piece of card stock and fold in half
   2. Open the card and mark a dotted line ¾-inch from the crease on each side
   3. Fold back along each dotted line (fold in the opposite direction of your original crease
   4. Shingle your roof!
      • Glue or tape wooden spoons to the roof - try a pattern (glue one row down, and then glue a second row down with spoons laying between two spoons on the bottom row) and lay a couple of them across the top edge to overhang (this is called an eave!)
      • OR - cut chopsticks into 4-inch pieces (you’ll need 30 pieces) and use those to create your roof
3. Decorate and assemble your birdhouse:
   1. Flower Garden Design
      • Glue different shapes and sizes of buttons to create a flower garden
   2. Owl Design
      • Draw and cut out 4 circles (2 big + 2 small)
      • Layer the circles, and top with a bottle cap and googly eye - glue them all together
      • Cut claws and a beak
      • Glue owl shapes to your carton (the birdhouse door will be your owl’s mouth - what a hoot!)
      • You can add some chopstick pieces for owl eyebrows!
   3. Cut 30 inches of twine and knot the ends together to make a loop
   4. Glue the twine across the top end of your birdhouse, and then glue your roof over the twine (COUNSELOR TASK)
      • Safety Reminder: The hot glue gun is the recommended tool for this step, but should never be in the hands of children - hot gluing is a Counselor task. 
   5. Below the birdhouse door, cut a small slit for a bird landing - insert a spoon or chopstick and reinforce with glue (COUNSELOR TASK)
      • Safety Reminder: The hot glue gun is the recommended tool for this step, but should never be in the hands of children - hot gluing is a Counselor task. 
   6. Add colorful stickers to the roof - birds love color!
4. Optional: Coat the whole birdhouse in craft gloss to help protect it from water outside
5. Fill your birdhouse with birdseed and hang it outside!
   
   

Play/ Perform (10 minutes)

• Instruct all children and Counselors to sit in a circle
• Play a few seconds of a bird sounds recording and encourage the children to take turns imitating the bird sounds they hear (by whistling, tweeting, etc.)
  • Try any recording of birdsongs, such as this one. Share the name of the bird you are hearing! Choose birds that are local to encourage awareness of local life
  • Take turns tweeting songs you know and the rest of the group can guess what song it is! 

Wrap-Up/ Goodbyes (5 minutes)

‍Reset/ Cleanup (After - 10 minutes)