I learned my lesson last year at girls camp. I spent the entire week teaching step-by-step instructions for most of the crafts, which left me exhausted and sick of my own voice. So this year I chose a few crafts that didn’t require constant instruction from me. Birdhouses was one easy solution. And I even had time to paint my own birdhouse (above) at camp.

The essentials for this project were paint, creativity, and unfinished wooden birdhouses. Then I let the girls loose. And boy did they let loose. I’ve never seen so many bright-colored, creative, and unique birdhouses.

More photos after the jump!

Two girls chatting in the midst of drying birdhouses. That discarded wooden pallet came in handy.

I bought 100 birdhouses in myriad styles when they were on sale for $4 each at Michael’s last May. I practically cleaned out two stores. We must have had about 15 different models—all of them as cute as the next.

I stocked up on bottles of acrylic craft paint, also from Michael’s. One popular color that I wish I bought more of was metallic copper (just a tip if you want to try this craft with a group of youth).

Painting goes faster—and is more fun—with two. We used plastic table cloths with a roll of paper over it to protect the work surfaces. And buckets of water for rinsing brushes.

Thanks to these girls, lots of birds have colorful places to call home this winter. Definitely the craftiest of nests. :)