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Not only is building a birdhouse fun and something you and your children can do together and enjoy for a long time to come, but it's also a great way to teach your children about nature. Here's how to build a birdhouse with a couple of hours and only a few dollars.

Do a bit of research on the type of birds in your area to find out what type of house they prefer in order to get the best results.

What You’ll Need

* 1' x 12' shelving board
* pencil and ruler
* circular saw
* drill
* 1-1/8" spade bit
* finishing nails
* hammer
* outdoor paint
* paintbrush
* small wooden dowel
* wood glue

Instructions

1. Determine the size you want your bird house and using a circular saw, cut the front, back, floor, roof and sides of your bird house out of the shelving board.

2. Drill a hole in the front piece of your bird house towards the top with the spade bit. This is how the birds will come in and out of the house. Depending on the size of bird you want to attract

3. Drill a couple of small holes in the bottom panel to allow water to drain out should it rain. We wouldn't want our birds to be flooded out of their new home, after all.

4. Assemble the birdhouse panels using nails. Start by attaching the front piece to a side piece. Then work your way around the house until all sides are attached and the edges are evenly lined up with one another.

5. Using nails attach the bottom panel followed by the two roof panels. When you add the roof panels
make sure that the back of them is even with the back of the bird house and they hang over a bit in the front.

6. Using outdoor paint in your choice of color(s), paint the birdhouse. Hint: Let your children pick out 2 complimentary colors for their bird house and paint the roof the darker of the two and the rest of the birdhouse the lighter color.

7. Once the paint has dried completely, drill a hole in the front, just under the "door" and place a small wooden dowel in it using a bit of wood glue to hold it in place.