Rock craft projects are a perfect spring and summer activity that you can make with your friends and/or family to give as gifts, or keep for yourself. I love to collect rocks while I travel or am spending time in my own yard at home. Coming up with different ways to incorporate the unique rocks I find has been a fun way to spend more time outdoors. As founder of Wander Woman Kansas, I am active in all kinds of outdoor activities year-round.
Add this hanging bird rock craft to your project list, and use these simple decorations to spruce up your outdoor space (like I have around all of my container plants). This spring activity is a great way to get you, your family and friends, outdoors on the search for the perfect materials to put this together.
1 Pick out the size of wood base you would like to use. This will determine the size rocks for your birds you will need, and how big your branch that they sit on will be.
2 Head outside and find a good branch that can fit across the width of your wood slab base. Cut the branch to size so it goes completely across the wood slab.
3 Glue the branch on the wood slab. This will be your starting point.
4 I picked out rocks that had a slight oval shape to them. Try to imagine the rock form as a small bird sitting on a branch; its body will be similar to an egg shape.
5 Next, determine how many rocks will fill the wood slab. I was able to fit four rocks on the branch inside the wood slab.
6 Decide how your want your birds to look for painting. For example, while my birds are simple, they’re each made unique by having them look in different directions. I used white and black paint for the eyes, and red paint for their beaks. Each beak is outlined in black to provide definition. Really simple!
7 Once I was satisfied with the painting of the bird faces, I sprayed each rock with the acrylic sealer to protect them from weather, since mine are hanging outdoors.
8 Next, while the acrylic sealer is drying on your painted bird rocks, take the wood slab and add the two holes you will need to hang the project. I used a drill to make a hole big enough for the rope to fit through.
9 After the holes have been drilled, push the rope through far enough to make into a knot on the back, like the picture below:
10 Now that your hanger rope is secure, place your bird rocks on the branch where you would like them. Add a generous amount of glue on the wood base, and the rocks, to secure your “birds.” If you are using Gorilla Glue, remember — it expands as it dries, so you want to consider placement so you don’t see the glue around the rocks’ edges.
11 Let the glue dry completely. Hang indoors or outdoors – wherever you decide to display your new creation!
Jessica White is the founder of Wander Woman Kansas, an outdoor education program for women near the Kansas City area. She grew up with a family that spends time outdoors, which provided her a great deal of experiences. She has gone on every kind of hunting and fishing trip imaginable with her Dad. While he liked that part of the outdoors, her Mom, on the other hand, taught her the love of camping, canoeing, caving, rappelling and all kinds of outdoor sports. Jessica still enjoys trips with them, but she started Wander Woman to encourage other women to find themselves in the outdoors. View all posts by Jessica White
