DLTK's Crafts for Kids
Bird Mobile Craft
Contributed by
There are enough pieces to this project that a group of children could make it together (4 children could each make a bird, one child could do the nest, 2 to 4 children could make the eggs and 2 children could make tree tops).
The oldest children should work on the treetops, as it's a bit harder to cut through the thin cardboard and line up the pieces
Materials:
- glue,
- scissors,
- printer,
- paper,
- wool or string,
- thin cardboard (old cereal box) and
- something to color with (optional).
Optional DECORATIONS:
- feathers,
- wiggly eyes
,
- green sparkle glue,
- straw or wool
Instructions:
- Print Template 1 (the bird).
You'll need to print 4 copies so you have 4 birds.
- Color (as appropriate) -- water color paint works nice as does finger paint
- Fold the template in half so the pieces line up nicely.
- Unfold the template and apply glue to the inside (the uncolored side).
- Refold the template and let dry
- Cut out the template piece. It's a nice rounded piece so young children should be able to do it on their own.
- Optional: glue on a few
feathers for wings or wiggly eyes
- Print Template 2 (the nest).
You'll only need one copy of this template.
- Color (as appropriate) -- water color paint works nice as does finger paint
- Fold the template in half so the pieces line up nicely.
- Unfold the template and apply glue to the inside (the uncolored side).
- Refold the template and let dry
- Cut out the template piece. It's a nice rounded piece so young children should be able to do it on their own.
- Optional: glue on a few
bits of straw or wool as nest material. You can use this
opportunity to talk a bit about what birds use to make their nests.
- Print Template 3 (the eggs).
You'll only need one copy of this template.
- Color (as appropriate) -- robins have blue eggs, ducks have greenish-brown eggs, terns have speckled "sand" looking eggs etc. You can make speckled eggs by dipping a toothbrush in paint and running your fingernail (or a popsicle stick) over it.
- Use this opportunity to talk about bird eggs. Why do some birds have different colors -- if a bird's nest is hidden, it will often have brightly colored or white eggs (like a robin). If a bird nests out in the open or on the ground, it will have egg colors that blend into the background (like ducks or terns) to hide the nest from predators.
- Cut out the template piece. The eggs are a bit harder to cut out than the other pieces, so younger children may need help.
- Glue the eggs into the nest (on both sides) so it looks like the 4 little birdies just hatched out of their eggs.
- Print Template 4 &
6 and 5 & 7 (the tree top). You'll need one copy
of each.
- Color (as appropriate) -- water color paint works nice as does finger paint.
- Cut out each template
piece. You'll notice that 2 have the line in the middle starting
from the top (templates 4 & 6) and 2 have the line in the middle
starting from the bottom (templates 5 & 7) -- these are pairs.
- Glue template 4 to a thin piece of cardboard and cut out. Glue template 6 to the back of that piece.
- Glue template 5 to a thin piece of cardboard and cut out. Glue template 7 to the back of that piece.
- Punch holes where indicated (one in each corner and one in the middle) -- 5 holes altogether.
- Optional: use green
sparkle glue to color in the leaves or trace around the edge.
- Cut down the middle line of template 4/6 and up the middle line of template 5/7. Slide the pieces together.
- Tie an equal length piece of string to each bird and tie them onto the 4 corners of the tree top.
- Tie a longer piece of string to the next and tie it to the center of the tree top.
- Punch a hole in the top of the treetop and hang from the ceiling!