Make a Bird Nest Box

You can help look after baby birds by building them a nest box. This is a place where adult birds can look after their babies, and keep them safe from the cold.

Most bird nest boxes (also known as ‘bird houses’) are made of wood, but here’s how to make one from a milk carton:

Milk Carton Bird Nest Box

You’ll need:

1. One cardboard milk or soup carton.
2. String
3. Glue
4. Pencil
5. Adult helper with a sharp pair of scissors

How to do it:

1. Ask an adult helper to help you carefully open your carton and wash it in warm, soapy water so the insides are completely clean. Leave it to dry.
2. Fold the carton closed and glue it shut. Stand the carton upright on a table.
3. Ask an adult helper to cut a 5cm round hole into one of the sides of the carton. This is the hole the bird will jump through, so make sure the edges are neatly cut.
4. Under the hole, ask an adult helper to help you push a pencil into the carton and through the other side. Part of the pencil should stick out under the hole, so your birds have something to stand on while they’re climbing into their new home.
5. Ask an adult helper to pierce a small hole in the top of the carton, then thread the string through. This string will be used to hang your nest box.
6. Decorate your nest box with whatever you like – glitter, coloured stickers or paint. But remember, your decorations must be waterproof.
7. With the help and agreement of a parent or adult helper, hang your nest box in a tree or from a balcony, then wait for your new bird friends to make it their home.