Build a Bird Nesting Box Workshop

We recently hosted a series of hands-on kids workshops here at Little City Farm, teaching traditional skills such as working with hand tools, baking bread, and using natural materials (like birch bark) to create functional items.  In the recent Build a Bird Nesting Box we talked about what kinds of nests the kids had stories about (everyone seems to have a bird nest story), what birds they have spotted in their yards, and what birds we'd like to welcome.  Then we worked on nesting boxes for small birds such as warblers, nuthatches and wrens, chickadees (with the nest box opening 1/8 inch and no bigger) that like to nest in small cavities like hollow trees.  Often these kind of habitats are not available in cities, because dead trees get taken down.  What fun to have the backyard patio filled with a lively eager group of kids (and parents) all working industriously on their projects, working together sawing, drilling, sanding, building - and so proud of their creations at the end.