How to build your own den
If you're looking to keep the kids busy for hours, then take a look at our ideas on how to build a den.
Experience the magic of Christmas at the Eden Project on selected dates from 22 Nov to 5 Jan – plan your visit.
Turn a plastic milk carton into an intriguing hanging bird. This recycled art activity is a great kids’ craft idea for a rainy day.
Why not make lots and turn them into a mobile or race them in the garden?
Put the bottle on a hard surface, like the floor or a table, and poke your scissors into the bottle near the bottom. Once your scissors are in, cut all the way around to remove the bottom section.
On the opposite side from the handle, you’ll find a seam, which you should cut all the way up until you get to the 2-litre mark.
This step is where you make the beak of the bird. Starting at the top end of the seam, cut a curve around each side of the bottle neck towards the top – but don’t cut right through. Draw a line first if it helps.
Next, push the new beak ‘flap’ inside the neck of the bottle and up through the hole (where the milk usually comes out). You may need to bend and push and wiggle it up.
Now for the wings and tail. Hold the bottle in a horizontal position, with the handle at the bottom. Starting a couple of centimetres in from the side, cut a curve round and up towards the handle, then round and down until you reach the bottom end of the seam cut you made in step 3. You can discard the piece of plastic you’ve just cut out.
Repeat on the other side.
Here’s the best bit. Holding the bottle in a horizontal position again with the handle at the bottom, bend the pointed wing you’ve just created outwards and downwards. You’re essentially turning part of the bottle inside out, creating shoulders and shaped wings. Repeat on the other side, and all of a sudden you should have a milk bottle bird.