Recycled Crafts for Kids – Rocking Robins

For me, Christmas wouldn’t be complete without a Robin Redbreast. When I was young-I loved to watch and listen to the Robins in the back garden. My mother wrote a song about the cheeky little bird which she sang to us every Christmas.

We have been making Rocking Robins for years now. Made out of old cardboard cereal boxes, these delightful cards rock back and forth when tapped. They make delightful cards for family and friends or as house and tree decorations…not just at Christmas time but any time of the year.

What you will need:

• Old cereal box
• Glue and scissors
• Red tissue paper or crepe paper, torn into small pieces and scrunched up
• Orange card cut into triangle for beak
• Strips of old recycled card, paper or magazine pages for the tail

Turn your recycled cereal box inside out and draw round a plate (if you wanted to make your bird smaller, use a glass to draw round).

Now cut out your cardboard circle

And fold in half

Now make the red breast by using crumpled up red tissue paper and gluing it in place

Finally add the orange card cut into a triangle for the beak and glue or tape the strips of card for the tail.

Now TAP your Robin and let it ROCK!

A sparkling alternative rocking bird- Purple Beaded Bird

Jasmine and I love to add a little sparkle to our cards and this year is no exception. Jasmine glued purple felt over the card then stitched recycled beads and sequin around the edge – for a sparkling alternative to the robin.

• Cut out a piece of felt the same size as the cardboard.
• Glue the felt in place.
• Add recycled beads by stitching to the body of the bird. Add sequence for extra sparkle.
• Add the beak and tail.

Jasmine ’s homemade glazed clay bowl-filled with sparkling recycled glass beads from old necklaces.

Just tap your finished sparkling bird and watch it rock back and forth.

Another alternative Robin card … Felt Robin

Just like Jasmine’s Sparkling Bird Card above, you would add brown felt to the cardboard then cut out a half circle of red felt.

Let’s Go OUTSIDE….and look for a real Robin…

Beautiful American Robin perched on our Rowan Tree – from my Bird Watching with Kids (previous post): Connecting Kids to Nature

Now that you’ve made a Rocking Robin-how about going outside to see if you can spot a real one. On your hunt for a real Robin, keep your eyes peeled for feathers, leaves and other items that you could use to make another rocking bird.

More info on American Robins can be found here: http://web.mac.com/wildlifeweb/Robin-Facts/

Why Robins at Christmas

Today we associate robins with Christmas, and the bird always appears on Christmas cards. A common explanation is that the Victorian postmen who delivered Christmas cards wore red uniforms, and were nicknamed “robin redbreasts”. So people associated receiving their cards with robins. The truth is probably much simpler, for the robin is most visible at Christmas, when its bright red breast, which the bird puffs out to keep warm, brings colour to drab surroundings, and the male begins to sing loudly to attract a mate. It is also in the depths of winter, when insect food is scarce, that robins are most tame. So robins have always been as much a part of the Christmas scene as snow and holly.(Thanks to icons of England for this text).

Tagged as: backyard birds, bird watching, Birding, birds, Christmas Crafts, Cratfs, kids and birds, Nature, outdoorplay, Recycled Crafts, Robins