This weekend my daughter Alex and I decided we were going to paint a birdhouse for the yard. Since she's not even 3 years old yet, it requires a lot of planning! It was well worth it though- took us about an hour, and has given us lots of enjoyment. Even if it never attracts birds, it was a fun project for her to do that contributes to the beauty of our garden, and it makes the yard a little bit more whimsical and exciting for her. Pre-planning: The nice thing about Alex is she takes a nice long nap every day, which gave me lots of time to get the birdhouse ready for her. If I had tried to do all of this when she was awake, her lack of patience (and mine) would have probably ended with a tantrum (from me AND her) and it would have made the whole process a lot less fun. We shopped for the supplies BEFORE her naptime, and it was an easy way to get her to take a nap ("We can't paint our birdhouse until you wake up from a nap 
sweetie!"). While she was napping I laid out LOTS of plastic, got all of the paints together (we used acrylic Patio Paint), and as you can see I also painted a base coat on the birdhouse. Now, if your child is older, you won't have to do that part, but as you can tell with the finished product, it's better to do that with a toddler if you want overall coverage.
sweetie!"). While she was napping I laid out LOTS of plastic, got all of the paints together (we used acrylic Patio Paint), and as you can see I also painted a base coat on the birdhouse. Now, if your child is older, you won't have to do that part, but as you can tell with the finished product, it's better to do that with a toddler if you want overall coverage.
It was a lot of fun to watch her concentrate on her paint job. The ENTIRE time she was talking to all of the birds saying "Here Birdie! I make pretty house for you! Come on in!". All in all, it was a great project for us to do together outdoors, and this abstract looking piece might make a bird family happy someday. Costs involved: $1.00 paintbrush set from Dollar Tree, $5.99 for the birdhouse from Michael's, and $1.75 per tube of Patio Paint, also from Michael's. The fact that you are all envious of our totally awesome one-of-a-kind birdhouse: Priceless :)
I loved this Carri! My baby girl is 19 now, and I still have the birdhouse she painted for me as a child, sitting on my potting bench. The color has long since faded away (dang, wish I'd known about that base coat!) but it makes me smile and think of her whenever I see it. So your modest investment will remind you of this special day for a long time, and that IS priceless!
ReplyDeleteThanks Laura! I have a feeling we'll be doing more of these! It's a fun way to brighten up a non-colorful section of the yard! Not to mention we both temporarily got colorful too (what is it with kids and paint? Why is it so much fun to smear on everyone and everything?!)
ReplyDeleteHello~
ReplyDeleteI love the heirloom birdhouse you and your daughter created! Sounds like it was a delightful experience for the both of you. Just stopping over to say hello and thank you for the Twitter follow!
Happy day~
Karrita
You are a brave mommie! Alex did a great job! Its very cute.
ReplyDeleteAAAaaaawwwww...
ReplyDeleteSuper cute and sweet!
When I was in Texas, I noticed that my Grandma had an entire bird condo! She and the Grandkids had made a bunch of birdhouses, and when they were finished, she hired someone to put posts in the ground at different heights. The birdhouses were then mounted, and it is SO cute! So many colorful birdhouses, so many colorful birds visiting - I can see you and Alex continuing making many more birdhouses and having your own birdie neighborhood
What a happy post! I've never outgrown my love for craft projects and have been known to hijack a kid just to have an excuse.
ReplyDeleteCherish your birdhouse. How wonderful that a mother and daughter can make something for another 'family' that is so wonderful!
ReplyDelete