This easy paper plate bird nest craft for kids is a frugal and fun way to enjoy a creative activity.
It’s a cute project that’s fantastic for spring, Letter N or B themes, and anytime you’d like to have some screen-free fun. When my boys were younger, we did this craft as part of our early summer nature activities.
I’m sharing my tips and ideas for making this nest craft, as well as easy-to-follow instructions (with pictures to guid the way). It’s a craft your kids will love and turns into a sweet homemade decoration, too.
A Neat Way to Enjoy a Nature-Themed Craft
Need a simple activity to use with your kids that celebrates nature? Maybe you’re getting ready for a Letter N (or even B) lesson or week? Perhaps you’ve seen a bird nest (like we did!) on a walk and want a cool project to keep the learning adventures going?
Well, this paper plate bird nest craft is a brilliant idea for all of those things and more!
Nature walks are one of our favorite homeschool things to do. Our outdoor treks aren’t formal or even well-planned. When we have time in our routine and the weather is mostly cooperative, my boys and I head to one of our local walking trails. These walks, however, were often challenging when my boys were younger.
I would encourage my boys to be as quiet as possible so we could observe nature. I found that giving my boys specific things to look for helped them to better listen. We made a list of nature items to find. When we would stumble upon a bird nest, it was always exciting!
In fact, we still get excited when we find a nest. Last week, my youngest (11) discovered one during a walk in our backyard. Bear (14), our resident “bird watcher” as we affectionately call him, got out his binoculars and we took turns looking at the nest. It was such a delightful connection to our bird next experiences when they were younger.
I was reminded of this this bird nest craft that we enjoyed when they were little. Luckily, my boys still like doing crafts with me and helped me recreate it to share with you!
What You’ll Need for This Bird Nest Craft
Here’s a supply list for the materials to make this craft. If you’d like your project to look like the examples in this tutorial, you’ll need:
- Paper plates
- Brown paint & paint brush
- Orange craft foam (or orange paper)
- Scissors
- Glue
- Googly eyes
- Big blue pom poms
- Raffia (or shredded paper)
I highly recommend that you customize your project. Think about what types of birds that you’d like in your nest and use colors accordingly (like black, red, or brown). If you would prefer to not use paint, you can use tempera paint sticks (like Kwik Stix) to keep this activity as mess-free as possible.
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How to Make Your Paper Plate Bird Nest
Prepare the paper plate..
Cut a paper plate in half. Flip both halves over and paint the back (the curved side) brown. This will be the outside of the nest. Let the paint dry completely.
Make the baby birds.
While the paint is drying, cut out small orange triangles from craft foam to make bird beaks.
Glue one triangle and two googly eyes onto each blue pom pom to create baby birds.
Build the nest.
Once the paint is dry, glue the two paper plate halves together along the curved edge to form a pocket (like a taco). This is the bird nest.
Complete the nest.
Stuff the inside of the paper plate nest with raffia to make it cozy. Place your pom pom baby birds into the nest. They’ll look snug and safe in their new home.
Kids can play with the little pom pom birds, then tuck them back into their cozy nest when it’s time to rest.
Frequently Asked Questions About This Nest Craft
This craft is awesome for kids of all ages. Younger children (toddle, preschool, and possibly kindergarten) will need more help with the glue, as well as supervision. Older students (elementary age) can complete it independently. Adjust the difficulty by adding more intricate details or materials for older kids.
Yes! You can easily tweak this craft by using cardboard, a sturdy paper bowl, or even a foam plate for a different look. The instructions can still be followed with these alternatives.
If you don’t have raffia, no worries! You can use materials like brown yarn, twigs, or shredded paper. Get creative with what you have on hand.
If you don’t have (or would rather not use) pom poms for your birds, you could try cotton balls. Also, you can feature eggs (instead of birds) and use plastic Easter eggs, cardboard cut-outs, or other egg-shaped item.
Creative Ideas for Making and Using Your DIY Bird Nest
Before you start this bird nest craft with your students, chat about what a bird nest is. You can read about or look up videos on how different birds make their nests. From what you’ve learned, come up with a plan on how to make your own nests.
After the paint is dry on your paper plate nest, you can add texture if you have time. Glue on small twigs or torn pieces of brown paper or paper bag.
A fun idea is to find a larger stick to place your DIY bird nest on when your project is complete. Or you can use a hold punch towards the top outer corners of the nest. Thread string or yarn through the holes and hang for a cute decoration in your homeschool area, library, or classroom.
More Fun and Frugal Crafts for Kids
A clever craft like this one (that’s also budget-friendly) is a wonderful start to boosting creativity. And you can totally enjoy more activities to keep your kids engaged and excited. A few of our top picks for frugal crafts are:
- Glowing firefly craft (a toilet paper roll project)
- Ice cream cone craft
- Torn paper fireworks craft
- Beaded pipe cleaner flowers
- Torn paper rainbow craft (with cotton ball clouds)
⭐ Isn’t this paper plate bird nest craft just so cute? I love how it combines nature themes with a creative activity for kids! Do you have any questions about the tutorial? Please let me know in the comments area at the bottom of this post.
