Bird Boxes

Want a good project?  Try bird boxes. Kids can build all types and track the birds which next in them.  I'm in the process of grant writing--which means research.  I'm planning on adding bird houses to an environmental project because kids love to build bird houses.  I've used this bird nesting box kit and this alternate nesting box kit from Carolina Biological.  Both versions are fairly easy to build.  Lowes has a bird house kit, too.  The Lowes kit retails for about $10; the bird house kits from Carolina are about $14 each.  So, we tried the Lowes kit with our favorite six year old, Paul.  The holes are predrilled.  The design is a simple box.  My only issue is that the nails are tiny!  Rob and Paul built the bird house in about an hour.  So, I think elementary kids could construct these kits with minimal direction.  We used markers to decorate the birdhouse because they're less messy. The kits from Carolina are more substantial--but this was easy to build.    Here is a photo of my teens building bird boxes.  Here's a shot of a completed bird box hanging in the woods behind the school. Want more on birds?  Try Cornell.  They are experts in all things bird.