Bobble Head Chicks & Nests

  These are some quirky little chicks that we made for Easter. You use egg cartons and wire to make these fun little friends that bobble their head whenever they move.  My daughter and I made one to test out the directions. When we were done I kind of didn't know what I thought, but then I saw that little head wobble and it brought a big smile to our faces.

Before we made our chicks and nests, we talked about baby animals being born in the spring and discussed how birds use lots of different materials to make nests for their chicks.  

Here is our chicky nesting outside in our homemade nest. 

Here is a picture of the head tilting so you can kind of see what makes the bobble bob. 

To go along with our bobble head chicks, we made them nests to roost in until they learn to fly.

With my older class, I assembled most of the chick and the kids added eyes and feathers. It took a while to make 9 of those cuties so I decided to simplify with the younger class.** The kids made the nests for their birds and I provided them with these cute little toy chicks to inhabit their nest. 

**Making this with one or two kids isn't a big deal, but doing it on a large scale was a little more tricky. I wouldn't suggest doing this with more than two or three kids at a time unless the kids are older. 

Want to make your own chick or nest? 

Bobble Head Chick

Here's What You Need:

2 cardboard egg carton cups

paint

feathers

card stock

googly eyes

tape

24 mm gauge craft wire (It has to be this gauge to make the bobble work correctly)

Here's What You Do:

1. Cut one of the egg carton cups so it sits flat.
2. Cut the second cup to a height of about 3/4 inch. 
3. Paint the cups and let them dry.
4. Cut out feet and beak from card stock and glue or tape them inside the cups. Glue the eyes on. 
5. Wrap 6 inches of wire around a pen. 
6. Use a push pin to make a hole in  the top of the larger cup.
7. Insert a full circle of wire into the hole and tape to the top of the cup.
8. Tape another circle of coil into the top of the smaller cup. 
9. Glue on feathers.

Homemade Bird Nests

Here's What You Need:

brown paper bag

straw, yarn, leaves, twigs or other things to add to your nest

Here's What You Do:

1. Roll the paper bag inside itself and keep rolling down until you reach the bottom. Squish and squeeze the sides until the bag resembles a nest shape.
2. Glue on yarn, twigs, sticks, straw, etc to make your nest soft for your new chick. 

Ideas were originally found from Family Fun magazine.