Online shopping is so convenient, but after a while, all those cardboard delivery boxes start to pile up. In this month’s Maker’s Corner let’s upcycle them into a beautiful birdhouse that will invite some new feathered friends to your balcony in no time. You just need a few everyday household materials and a bit of patience to do this fun afternoon activity for the whole family.

Showing us how to turn ordinary cardboard boxes into beautiful birdhouses are Isabella Cao, a grade 7 student at AISB-Hope International, and Secondary Art Teacher Tammy Sapp.

What You’ll Need

• Cardboard boxes
•  X-acto knife or a large pair of scissors
• Cutting mat (or thick cardboard if you do not own a cutting mat)
• Ruler
• Dark marker or pencil
• Glue
• One 30 – 32 cm long pencil or stick, birdseed, and other recycled items you want to use to decorate the birdhouse

Step 1:

Cut out the pieces of cardboard into the following sizes:
● One 19 x 19cm square. This will be the bottom of the birdhouse.
● Two 18 x 20cm rectangles. These will be for the roof. Draw 2cm tabs on the right side of each rectangle. This is where the glue will go later.
● Two 18 x 22cm rectangles. These will be the right and left walls. Draw one 2cm tab on each side of both rectangles. Draw a 3cm circle using a bottle cap, in the middle of the right and left side panels.
● Two 18 x 27cm rectangles.  Draw an 18 x 18cm square within the rectangle. Mark the middle of the rectangle at 9cm and draw a vertical line following the 9cm mark from the bottom of the rectangle to the top making a 27cm long line. Draw a line from the top of the line to the corner of the 18 x 18cm square to make rooftop peaks. This will be the front and back sides of the birdhouse.

Step 2:

Draw an 8 x 10cm rectangle about 4cm up from the bottom of the front of the birdhouse and cut a small hole under the triangle. The hole will be for the long stick to go through. Then cut an identical hole on the back side of the birdhouse in the same place.

Step 3:

Using the X-acto knife and metal ruler, cut out all the walls, bottom, and roof. Make sure to ask for help from a parent if you have never used an X-acto knife or just use scissors if the corrugated cardboard is not too thick. When using an X-acto knife, lay the cardboard onto a matte board or another thick piece of cardboard so you don’t end up cutting into the tabletop.

Step 4:

Glue all the wall pieces together.
● Apply glue to the tab of the left wall and press it to the inside area to the front wall. Allow to dry, then repeat for the right side.
● After the glue has set, attach the bottom to the main feeder and allow to dry.
● Finally, glue the roof tabs together and allow to dry. Finish by gluing the roof to the top of the bird feeder.

Step 5:

Insert the stick into the small holes located under the rectangle and push it through the back.

Step 6:

Punch two small holes through the top of the roofs tabs and add a string so that you can hang the bird feeder. Decorate the bird feeder using other recycled objects. Add bird feed to the bottom of the birdhouse and find the perfect branch to hang it on.

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Images: Uni You

This article appeared in the beijingkids 2020 October issue

Looking for a fun, safe, and easy DIY craft activity for your kids? This one can be ready in no time, and you probably have all the materials in your house right now. Kids can experiment with color combinations, and the food dye easily washes out with a little soap. Younger children will probably need help with the fiddly steps, like rolling the pens and using the pipette or straw.

To show us how it’s done, we met up with Giosuè S, an eight-year-old student at Blossom Montessori. Don’t let his tender age fool you, however, because Giosuè is a serious artist. When he’s not drawing with watercolors, he is usually working on his comic books “Amazing Guy” and “Captain Thunder,” playing music with his brother or cuddling the family cats Dupa, Pillow, and Lulu.

Let’s get started!

What You’ll Need

• Cotton swabs
• Wet wipes
• Food dye
• Water
• A plastic pipette or straw
• Scissors
• Sticky tape
• Jar lids or any other waterproof containers
• Paper to paint on

Step 1:

Lay a wet-wipe flat on the table, and cut it in half.

Step 2:

Roll the wet wipe around the cotton swab, leaving some of the tip exposed as the nib of the pen. Trim the end of the wet wipe to the length of the swab if necessary.

Step 3:

Take a large piece of sticky tape and wrap it around the pen. This will help keep your hands dry and clean and hold the shape of the pen. Repeat steps one through three for as many pens as you want to make.

Step 4:

Put approximately two tablespoons water in a jar lid or other container, and add six to ten drops of food dye, then mix together. Repeat for as many colors as you want. You can easily adjust the amount of water and dye to your liking.

Step 5:

Use the pipette to carefully drop the dye onto the tip of the pen. Watch as it soaks up the colors! Alternatively, use a straw, putting one end in the dye, and blocking the other end to create suction.

Step 6:

Time to paint with your DIY watercolor pens! Either make up the design as you go along or follow Giosuè’s suggestion and draw an outline first. You can “recharge” your pens at any time.

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Photos: Uni You

This article appeared in the beijingkids 2020 September issue

It’s school holiday time, but without all the usual camps and activities kids would usually be doing right now, everyone is feeling rather trapped at home. Well, parents — have no fear. Rather than resorting to plonking the kids down in front of the TV, we have rounded up some of our favorite hands-on craft activities that can all be purchased on Taobao. These soothing crafts will keep your kids entertained (and away from screens) for hours, while also giving them a sense of purpose, and probably even provide some entertainment for the whole family. And when you’re done, it’ll be a token of triumph, a sign that we have overcome quarantine once again, together.

Here are some of the best crafts found on Taobao:

Paint by Number Kit

The popularity of this painting craft has surged in recent years, and for good reason. While those less trained in the arts may shy away from the concept of creating a painting, this kit requires zero experience in drawing. Once you’ve chosen the design you’d like to create, the canvas arrives with printed outlines, which divides the painting up based on its range of colors. The kit arrives with all the necessary color-coded paints and paintbrushes. Simply color each section of the canvas with the corresponding numbered paint and you’ll have a masterpiece before you know it. It’s very suitable for bored children sitting at home, but can also be a delightful stress reliever for other family members. A normal 40cm by 50cm canvas generally costs around RMB 20, but the price may vary from RMB 20 to 150 depending on the size of the canvas you choose.

To find it, search: 数字油画DIY (shù zì yoú huà DIY)

Wool Felt Dolls

These cute wool dolls may seem hard to create, but they’re actually rather easy! Each kit comes with wool, felting tools, and an instruction manual detailing how to ‘felt’ the wool (mat or shred the wool) into the right shape. Usually, all you have to do is create a few round balls, glue on an eye or two, and your wool felt doll comes to life. This craft can be enjoyed by people of all ages, but parents should supervise their kids while they work with needles. The price for these cute creatures range from RMB 20 to 40.

To find it, search: 羊毛毡戳戳乐 (yáng máo zhān chuō chuō lè)

Miniature Houses

These highly detailed miniature houses come with step-by-step instructions, hundreds of tiny pieces, and tons of glue. Beginning from scratch, one builds their way up to a fully structured house or single room. It’s almost like real-life construction work! (Almost) This craft is pretty fiddly, so best suited to teens and adults. The cheaper kits are around RMB 60, which in most cases are the design of a single room. For more fancy buildings (such as the image above), the cost will likely range from RMB 100 to 200.

To find it, search: DIY 小屋 (DIY xiǎo wū)

Hand Crafted Music Box

At first glance, these might simply look like a beautiful decoration. Up close, one will realize that it is actually a colorfully-decorated music box, enveloped by said decoration. The wooden decoration comes in pieces, accompanied by a step-by-step instruction manual. This craft is suitable for young kids, but a patient parent could take a small child through the process too. Simpler designs will cost around RMB 80, while the more intricate and colorful designs will range from RMB 150 to 200.

To find it, search: DIY 八音盒 (DIY bā yīn hé)

Scrapbook

Does anyone wonder what we can actually do with the thousands upon thousands of pictures we store everywhere? Well, a handcrafted scrapbook can solve that problem. Print out your pictures, grab some markers, and plaster all those memories onto a heart-warming scrapbook. This is a perfect crafts idea for people of all ages, even little kids! Just plop them next to the table and start cutting and gluing. The price for a normal scrapbook ranges from RMB 40 to 100.

To find it, search: DIY手工纪念册 (DIY shǒu gōng jì niàn cè)

Hand Knit Dolls

Hand knit dolls are old-fashioned and cute, and can be gifted to a friend or placed anywhere in the house for a bit of charm. Kits come with all the necessary materials and instructions, and in case you mess up, you can always just turn it into a scarf. This craft would be more suitable for teens or young kids at best, as knitting can be tough for younger beginners. The average price for a cute doll is around RMB 30.

To find it, search: 毛线编制玩偶 (máo xiàn biān zhì wán ǒu)

3D Metal Structure

You can make your favorite buildings in the world come to life with these 3D metal structure pieces. These advanced structures are fit for young kids and up, but will require a lot of patience and guidance from anyone, and can take anywhere from a few days to a over a week to complete. The price for these can range from RMB 80 to 300.

To find it, search: 3D立体金属拼图 (3d lì tǐ jīn shǔ pīn tú)

Thumbtack Yarn Paintings

To make these creative designs, simply push the thumbtacks into the designated locations, and wrap the colored yarn around them. This kit comes with detailed instructions so you know what to wrap and where, and has a lot of room for creative input. It is definitely time-consuming, but not so hard that young children cant experiment with it. The price will range from RMB 50 to 300 based on the design you choose.

To find it, search: 钉子绕线画 (dīng zì rào shā huà)

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Photos: Elena Kloppenburg (via Unsplash), TaoBao.com