Upcycle Kuaidi Boxes Into A Beautiful Bird House

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.