The DIY Popsicle Birdhouse That'll Make A Lovely Addition To Any Yard

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If you are one of the millions of people across North America who enjoys watching birds in your backyard, you are likely employing ways to attract more birds to your outdoor space. Taking steps such as putting out feeders, growing pollinator-attracting plants, and hanging birdhouses around your yard can certainly help. While commercially-available feeders and birdhouses will serve this purpose admirably, many backyard birders enjoy DIY projects to create these bird-attracting features. Ways to do so range from reusing a plastic nursery pot for a birdhouse to building a wooden one from scratch. One of the easiest methods to safely DIY a wooden birdhouse for your backyard is to create one out of popsicle sticks. You'll do this by gluing the wooden sticks together and then using a paper clip and string to hang it.

Popsicle sticks have several advantages as a building material for DIY birdhouses. They are easy to work with, lightweight, and made from untreated wood, which is safe for birds. Those who routinely craft around the house are likely to already have most of the needed materials on hand. If not, nothing that is required is very expensive or difficult to get. For instance, a box of 200 GUSTO 4.5-inch Popsicle Sticks for about $5 will be sufficient for most simple designs. Should you wish to build a slightly larger model, you can opt for the KTOJOY 6-inch Popsicle Sticks, priced at around $5 for 100 pieces. Additionally, if you have little ones, creating a DIY popsicle birdhouse is a perfect way to spend an afternoon together and get them interested in bird life and nature. 

The first step is to plan your build and gather the supplies. While design possibilities are limitless, they all rely on the same principle materials — namely popsicle sticks, although the quantity needed will vary. You'll also need some yarn or string, a paper clip, and a hot glue gun. You can substitute wood glue, but the dry time will be longer.

Prepare your work station by laying a sheet of butcher paper or piece of cardboard on a large, flat surface. Then, begin building the base by laying the desired number of popsicle sticks side-by-side with the ends even. Typically eight to 12 sticks are used for the base. Run a line of hot glue on another stick and place it across them near one end. Repeat this process on the other end.

From that point, there are several options. You can make the walls and roof in the same manner as the floor, then attach the pieces to one another. Or, begin building up the walls by laying alternating sticks around the sides, securing them together with a dot of hot glue where they meet at the tips. Ensure you leave space for a door. Alternatively, glue together stacks of three or four sticks and stand them up vertically on the front and back walls, with a space in the middle of the front for the door. Then cover the roof and sides with horizontal sticks. Once the glue has completely dried, bend the paper clip into a hook, glue it to the roof, and use string or yarn to hang your new birdhouse.