Finding ways to boost wellbeing and feel good at home are imperative towards maintaining healthy bodies and minds.

Getting creative with the kids is a great way to keep them entertained for hours and help their imaginations continue to run wild while at home. Over the course of our closure, we'll be sharing quick and easy-to-follow guides for fun family crafts using bits and pieces from around the house.

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Perfect for hanging outside on the branch of a tree or a window ledge, this homemade bird house, made from a rinsed carton, will be sure to breathe new life into your garden.

Equipment needed:

• Rinsed milk or juice carton
• Paint
• Paintbrushes
• Craft knife (only for your adult's use)
• Scissors
• Black pen
• Lollipop stick (or a stick from the garden or outside)
• Wool or string
• Needle or sharp point
• Bird seed

1. Ask your adult to cut out a hole on each side of your carton using the craft knife, or if they're using scissors, then can poke a couple of smaller holes where you want the bird house's entry points to be, and then cut into them to make them larger.

It's really important that the edges are smooth and not sharp - this could damage the birds' wings. Use some Cellotape or masking tape to cover the cut edges, or file them down with some sanding paper.

2. Now that you've made your entry points so the birds can get in, you can paint your carton. Make sure your paint goes on quite thickly so that you cannot see any of the packaging's design underneath.

If you have white paint, paint the carton in this first and wait to dry, before adding your chosen bird house colour on top. This will make sure no writing peaks through.

3. Once your paint is dry you can add details in pen if you want. 

4. Ask your adult to create a slit for your lollipop stick to slide into using the craft knife, so that birds can stand on it. Alternatively, glue or Cellotape the lollipop stick to the bottom of the carton instead.

5. Ask your adult again to poke a hole in the top of your carton, using your sharp point or needle. Thread the wool or string through the hole and tie in a knot. Ask an adult to help you if it's a bit fiddly.

Then all you need to do is pop a handful of bird seed into the house and hang it in your garden, ready to spot all the birds that come to visit!