Birdhouse and Feeder Plans

A common project to build with kids in a woodshop is a bird house or feeder.   Designs can be simple or complex.  Many adults tend to underestimate the project and just wing it.  What I have found is that trying to think and design a project while building it with a child in the shop is harder than it sounds.  There are enough distractions with a child in the shop that it makes it difficult to think about all the subtle nuances of a design.

My suggestion is to either plan and design it before setting foot in the shop, or better yet, let your child shape the design by choosing a pattern from many tried and true birdhouse designs from the book Easy to Build Birdhouses, A Natural Approach.

This book not only does a great job with presenting plans and designs, it also addresses wood and finish choices that are bird safe.  It really is a great book for teaching kids how to take multiple aspects into consideration of a plan.