Looking for ways to make a socially distant Halloween fun? How about a hands-on Halloween craft? Our DIY Halloween birdhouse is the perfect fall project!
This adorable birdhouse makes for a festive centerpiece and perfect touch of the Halloween spirit.
Budget-wise, this activity will cost between $20-$40 depending on how many birdhouses and LEDs you want to use. The best part? You can store your Halloween birdhouse for next year, and keep adding to it!
Important: These instructions are meant to be followed and worked on by parents with their children, and shouldn't be carried out without adult supervision.
STEP 1: GATHER SUPPLIES
- Wooden mini birdhouses (sold at all craft stores)
- Acrylic paint
- Paint brushes
- Spooky string lights (optional)
- Sparkly black tulle (optional)
STEP 2: PAINT!
The style can be simple; Halloween themed colors are, black, orange, yellow, and purple. Our team at the iD Tech warehouse painted pumpkin-themed birdhouses, along with a witch's house, and your traditional haunted house.
Keep it organized and protect your furniture.
When painting with acrylic paints, place newspaper or butcher paper down on your table for protection. Acrylic paint is water based but it can still be hard to get out of wood and fabric. (Putting the birdhouses on plates will also help keep the area clean.)
What details can you add?
Black cats, bats, spiders, Jack-o-lanterns. Go nuts! All Halloween imagery is at your disposal.
STEP 3: SET THE SCENE
These birdhouses make nice centerpieces, or can be hung decoratively outside. If you do decide to put the decorations outside, bring them in if it rains as the acrylic paint will wash away.
If you want to go the centerpiece route, here's an example accented by bunched up tulle and loosely-placed spooky lights. (This example used purple spider LEDs.)
And now, our "pumpkin patch!"
Place the birdhouses so they are visible but also be sure to cover any loose LED battery packs. If you have extra Halloween-themed lights, like the pumpkin lights you see here, you can add them to the centerpiece.
Next, turn out the lights! The centerpiece looks great during the day, and super-spooky at night!
STEP 4: TAKE IT FURTHER
If the birdhouses have big enough holes in the front, you could put LEDs inside to make them light up at night.
Here’s how it looks!
Now, rearrange the birdhouses and LEDs until you assemble your favorite scene.
And that's it! Ta-da!
Show off your creation on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter #iDTechHalloween!
Easy, spooky, and mess-free, aka a parent's ideal DIY! If you're also on the lookout for a last-minute costume, check out our low-cost, quick-to-create Tech-o-Lantern.