Outdoor Skills · Ages 7 and up

Handicrafts

Make kites, bubbles, nature prints, and a birdhouse with your own hands.

The old handy books were full of things children could build from string, sticks, paper, and odds and ends. In his preface, Dan Beard urged parents to spend money on tools instead of fancy toys and to let children make their own kites. Here are a few of those projects to try.

For grown-ups: A grown-up helps with saws, hammers, and wire cutters for the birdhouse and other wood projects.

Things to try

In any order, at your own pace. Tick what you've tried if you like keeping track; ticks stay on this device.

Blow giant bubblesMix a bubble solution of dish soap and water, and bend wire or pipe cleaners into wands of different shapes. Test which shape makes the biggest bubble. A good goal: you've made a bubble bigger than your head.
Make nature printsPaint the backs of leaves or ferns and press them onto paper or a plain cloth bag, or try sun prints on special paper. A good goal: you've made a set of prints to frame or give away.
Turn trash into treasureCollect clean recyclables, such as boxes, jars, and tubes, and make something useful from them: a pencil holder, a bird feeder, or a toy. A good goal: your creation is in use.
Make a pinwheel or whirligigMake a paper pinwheel on a pencil or stick, then try a spinning whirligig from a button and string. A good goal: both spin well.
Build a kiteBuild a simple diamond kite from two light sticks, string, and paper or a plastic bag, and give it a tail. Fly it in an open field away from power lines and roads. A good goal: it flies for at least a minute.
Build a birdhouseWith a grown-up, build a simple wooden birdhouse from a plan or a kit, sized for a bird that lives near you. Different birds need different entrance hole sizes. A good goal: it's hung and you're watching for tenants.
Invent your own projectLook through the old handy books together, pick a project that interests you, and adapt it with today's materials. A good goal: you've made it and can explain what you changed.
Host a make-it afternoonTeach a friend or sibling to make one of your projects from start to finish. A good goal: they've made their own.

Read about it in the old books

Teddy Rook Book is not affiliated with or connected to any scouting or youth organization. These pages are free ideas to use however you like.