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  • Arts & Sciences

Best-Dressed Nest

This craft will fly high with your little bird lover. Take off on a nature hunt and look for twigs, leaves, grass, and more to make and decorate the best nest! Then, create a birdy friend to live in it out of supplies found right at home.

Watch in Noggin

Troop Dragonfly: Birds!

What They’ll Learn

Art

Nature

Empathy

What You'll Need

For your nest:

  • Natural elements, including twigs, leaves, grass, feathers, pinecones, rocks – anything that you think works!
  • Cardboard or a paper plate
  • Craft glue

For your birdy:

  • Construction paper or cardboard
  • Toilet paper roll
  • Kid-safe scissors
  • Markers or crayons
  • Craft glue or tape
  • Popsicles sticks or real sticks
  • Googly eyes
    (Note to grown-ups: Do not use small objects, like googly eyes, with young children. Draw or paint eyes instead!)
  • Any craft materials you have at home!

How to Create

Bird Nest

  1. Use a paper plate as a base for the nest, or help your child cut a circle out of cardboard. Arrange and glue down the biggest twigs and materials around the edge of the circle.
  2. Weave the twigs, leaves, and other materials over and under each other, gluing as you go. Keep building the walls of the nest higher and higher, until your nest looks complete.
  3. Add grass, leaves, or other soft materials to the center of the nest, then glue them down. You can even add rocks to the center of your nest and pretend they’re eggs.
  4. Put your nest aside to dry. Now it’s time to make your little birdy.

Birdy Friend

  1. Create the body. Use a toilet paper roll as the body of your bird. Color it using crayons or markers – make it blue like a blue jay or red like a cardinal!
  2. Create wings. Help your child cut construction paper or cardboard into two wings. Tape the wings to the back of your bird body. Add feathers if you have them!
  3. Attach a popsicle stick. On the back of your bird, glue or tape the popsicle stick between the wings. Now you have a handle to make your birdy fly!
  4. Add features. Decorate using whatever materials you have at home. Create a beak by cutting construction paper into a triangle. Draw two eyes with a black marker, or add googly eyes if you have them. (Note to grown-ups: Do not use small objects, like googly eyes, with young children. Draw or paint eyes instead!) Make the birdy unique, just like your child!

Parent Tips

  • On your nature hunt, suggest objects to your child that would make good materials for the nest.  
  • When creating your nest, use a tray or cookie sheet in case of glue spills or drips.
  • If your child is too young for scissors, pre-cut shapes out of construction paper to help them create their bird beak, eyes, and wings.
  • The nature elements may not last on display for very long. Take a picture of it, then discard if leaves or flowers begin to wilt.

Talking Tips

  • When you’re on your nature hunt, ask your child if they hear any birds calling, spot any nests in the trees, and/or see any birds flying around.
  • Ask your child how they would feel if they had to jump out of the nest and fly for the first time. Understanding how animals feel helps them see other perspectives and creates empathy.

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New content added weekly

Accessible on multiple devices

Downloadable books & games for offline play