DIY Bat Boxes for Kids

A couple of weeks ago I organized a Daisy Journey in a Day for our local Daisies and Brownies. I'll have a full post on that experience here in a few days, but one aspect of the project that deserves it's own long winded explanation is how we built 4 bat boxes with 6 and 7 year olds.

First of all, I used this handout from Wild About Gardens as the guide for building the bat houses. One caveat is the measurements are in metric. I decided not to convert them and just grabbed an old fashioned meter stick and ruler. You will want to print off the handout to get your supply list and cut list.

While I bought all the supplies at once, I didn't make all the houses at once. I wanted to cut and make one sample one before I started cutting boards for the other boxes. Couple things about the supplies. You will want to make sure the wood is not treated. Treated wood has all sorts of chemicals that wouldn't be good for bats. Also, before you search the entire store, the rubber flaps you need for the hinge are in the plumbing section. You could use a nail gun if you're doing this for personal use. Otherwise you will want to pick up some nails. You will see I used huge roofing nails which aren't the ideal type of nails. This was a conscious decision since the large head on the nails would be easier for the young girls to hit. Also, I did bring wood glue, some small bowls and a bunch of q-tips and had the girls glue each piece before nailing it together.

I made all the cuts for the first sample box. If you're making extras for little kids to build, you will want to take a moment between attaching all the different pieces to measure and record where the nails are going in. That way you can predrill all the holes on the other bat houses. If you have older girls, you can skip this step because they don't need to be predrilled.

Also, if you plan on painting the outside of the box, it might be easier to paint the pieces prior to building the box. I painted all the pieces that would be facing out but left the inside a natural wood. I used black since the color adds extra heat.

First step: Attach the front piece to the side pieces. The front piece will sit inside the side pieces. Please see the handout or pictures for examples. The side pieces and front piece will slant towards the front.

Second step: Attach the bottom piece to the bat house. This piece will also be set inside the side pieces. It will sit flush with the front piece leaving a 10 cm gap in the back for the bats to enter the bat house.

Third step: You need to rough up the back piece. I did this by using a sharp nail and pressure. Then attach the bat house to the back piece.

Last step: Attach the rubber flap to the top piece. The angled portion will go towards the back. Then attach the top to the back piece.

Ta-Da! You have a wonderful bat box to make the local insect eaters happy. Mount the bat box at least 10 feet from the ground in a sun location facing east or south. Bats are happiest when there's at least 6-8 hours of direct sunlight.

Featured on Wayfair!

Hello!

The rain has finally stopped, and I have 100 projects to complete outside before it starts again. So logically, I'm sitting inside writing a blog post. I just had to share that my home office was recently featured on Wayfair. (Click here for the link) My home office was a labor love. We took space that we had nothing but a bunch of random toys sitting in it and made it a 100x more functional. For all the DIY projects, including the amazing countertops my husband made from scratch, check out my blog post here.

I've got lots of goodies scheduled over the coming weeks including all the projects from my Girl Scout Journey in a Day, an outdoor art center, and the completion of two huge projects on Myrtle the vintage camper.

Thanks for tuning in!

Spring Junk Jam 2017

Happy Sunday!

Hubby is out on a calving call and the kiddos are finally asleep. I figured it was a good time to blog about the super fun Junk Jam that was held in Brookings, South Dakota yesterday.

I did a review of Junk Jam last year (Click here for the post), and this year's event was even better. The event is hosted and organized by Funky Junk in Brookings, South Dakota. There was many (many) more vendors with unique items either handmade or curated. The addition of the food trucks was particularly nice as well. I had to take in the event while my oldest was at a birthday party, while Sweet Cheeks was strapped to me, so it was a rush and crazy but still a blast. Sweet Cheeks pretty much has this look the entire time.

Rather than try to show you all the vendors (there was just too many great ones), I'm going to show off the pieces I picked up from some of my favorite vendors. I didn't get any furniture simply because I have no room in my house. That's part of the reason you haven't seen any furniture upcycling posts lately. There's no room in our house for upcycling. Maybe I should sell everything off so I can start over. If I didn't think my husband would lose his mind, that actually sounds like fun.

The first items I picked up were from Out on a Limb. This home decor boutique is located in Willow Lake, South Dakota. I loved the items she curated for her shop. I saw this shirt and despite my entirely too large graphic tee collection, I just had to add it. As a reader, you will know this shirt is pretty much the Ugly House Renovation. Of course, I can't turn down cute tea towels either. The kids are always ruining the ones I have, so it's good to keep a new supply on hand. (How do they always find the whitest towel when they have the darkest most permanent messes? It's a talent I tell you.)

The second item I picked up is one of my favorites. I think it's a planter (?). It's a hot air balloon that spins with the wind. I'm so freaking excited to find somewhere to hang it. Right now it's just in a tree with like 5 bird feeders waiting for a new home some where else in the yard. The hot air balloon came from Rustic Designs in Mitchell, South Dakota.

The third item are these magnets from a vendor called Honey B Design Co. The star of their booth, however, were these AMAZING screwdriver flowers. I'm so in love with them. They were a bit outside my budget this year, but I'll have to plan on them for next year because they are just so colorful and clever.

The fourth booth I loved was Rock Me Mama from Astoria, South Dakota. Well, it would be obvious for anyone who was there why I was drawn to their booth. They have a traveling boutique in a vintage Shasta camper. Uh, love! Myrtle the Aluminum Turtle would totally be jealous of their aqua paint job. I left with this cute teething necklace. Sweet Cheeks has already put it through a workout, and I love how cute it looks when I wear them...not so obviously teething related. They also have some serious adorable kids clothes.

All in all, it's a great show that is totally worth the cover charge (and probably the early bird one at that...if only I could have made it!) Did you attend? Share your finds on my Facebook page!