Milk-Carton Birdhouses

Make a home for your feathered friends from an upcycled milk carton. All you need is some paint and a few twigs. Add a little birdseed and you’ve got a feeder, too. 

Materials 
Empty quart or pint-sized milk cartons
Acrylic paint in white and assorted colors
String
An assortment of twigs, about 3 to 4 inches long
Decorations, optional

Tools
Pencil 
Scissors
Glue
Paint brushes in different sizes
Optional: Small cup; hole punch; stapler; glue gun (maker sure to have an adult help you with this)

Step 1. Wash the carton with soap and water. 

Step 2. With a pencil, draw a hole 3 to 5 inches in diameter a few inches from the bottom of the carton. (Try tracing the bottom of a small cup as a guide.) 

Step 3. Using a pair of scissors, carefully punch a hole in the center of the circle. Then cut out the circle to make an entrance for the birds. 

Step 4. Glue or staple the top of the carton closed.

Step 5. Paint a white base coat on the carton. Let dry and paint a second coat of the color of your choice. Let dry.  

Step 6. Make a hole in the top of the carton using scissors or a hole punch and thread a string through it. 

Step 7. Glue the twigs across the top of the carton to make a thatched roof. 

Step 8. Punch a tiny hole under the entrance and insert a twig. Glue in place to make a perch.

Step 9. Hang the birdhouse and welcome the birds.