DIY Willow bird nest

This DIY bird nest is great for Spring lessons, play or seasonal displays.

The fawns do love birds and I thought a fantastic activity would be an invitation for them to create their very own nests with a range of provided materials. As I've been inspired by nature crafts lately involving willow and weaving, I thought I would create a nest for them that we can use whenever we learn about birds, spring etc. This is my first time crafting with willow and I'm pretty happy with it. 😊 For their invitation to build a nest it will serve as an example prop. 





Getting started, of course you will need some willow branches. How many will depend on the size of the nest you wish to create. Start with a handful. You can keep some of the leaves attached if you wish, I kept a few of the smallest ones on here and through out my nest. Some may come off during the weaving process. 


Now I started from the top of the nest and worked my way down and in to the bottom. I haven't yet tried the other way around, I'm sure it would work either way. If you do want to start from the bottom of the nest, I recommend using the thinner parts of the willow branches as the thicken will not curve well without breakage in such a small space. I started with the thickest parts around the top of the nest and weaved the branch around itself to create a circle, then I began weaving through in a downward direction to create the wall of the nest. Pick a direction that feels comfortable for you to keep going in. Don't leave your weaves too far apart or you'll end up with big gaps. 




 Each time I ran out of branch I would add the next one, starting with the thickest end, weaving it into the wall a bit so it would be fairly stuck in before I continued with the rest. Once I got to the bottom of the nest, I went from weaving down to weaving inward. I needed to use medium/thin parts of the branches only, just keep going until you fill the gap. Then weave one in and out to really secure and hold the bottom together. 



I'm very happy with the result and it fits in perfectly on our nature shelf! 

Note: If you find you're having breakage, thread the branches through slowly and guide the curve through gently so as to avoid a snap. If you go too fast you may find this a problem. 

If you have a go at making a willow nest tag me on @deerandfawns I'd love to see! 😊


Enjoy!
-M 🌏✌️

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