Make Adorable Paper Roll Birds — Easy Step-by-Step Eco-Friendly Craft

Paper Roll Birds are a delightful, eco-friendly craft that turns ordinary toilet paper rolls into charming little birds. This step-by-step guide walks you through shaping, gluing, painting and adding details so you — and kids — can make a flock of colorful paper birds using simple supplies you likely already have.

Perfect for a rainy-day project, classroom activity, or seasonal decoration, these birds are quick to make and fully customizable by color and pattern.

Materials

• Toilet paper roll
• Acrylic paint (yellow, green, orange or your choice)
• Paint markers (grey or black, and a darker shade to match)
• Glue tape
• Googly eyes

Equipment

• Scissors
• Glue gun
• Pencil
• Paintbrushes

Instructions

Step 1: Find what you need — Gather your supplies and materials.

Instructions:

Step 1: Find what you need

Gather your supplies and materials.

Step 2: Create the bird shape

Flatten one end of a paper roll.

Add hot glue along one half of the flattened side.

Press the two sides of the roll back together, holding it firmly for 20 to 30 seconds while the glue dries.

Trim about 1 inch off the open end of the roll.

Cut a triangle shape from the excess cardboard for the bird’s beak.

Flatten the open end of the roll in the opposite direction from the glued end.

Cut this end on a bit of a curve. Keep the center the same length, but trim down a bit on each side.

Add a small line of glue towards the center curve. Place the beak into the glue.

Now add another line of glue across the whole side. Press the sides together, again, holding them until the glue dries and it stays on its own.

Step 3: Paint the bird

Use pencil to draw wing shapes on both sides of the bird.

Draw angled lines towards the front of the bird that will divide the main colour and breast colour of the bird.

Choose a main colour for your bird. Paint the top and wings of the bird this colour.

Once the paint has dried, add a second coat if necessary.

Paint the chest and bottom of the bird a second complementary colour. Again, add a second coat of paint if you’d like.

Paint the beak orange, yellow, or black, depending on what kind of bird you’d like to make.

Step 4: Add details

Once the paint has completely dried, outline the wings in black or grey paint marker and add little lines to represent the feathers.

You can also add feather details on the back of the bird and on the tail.

Use a matching colour of marker (a darker green, for us) to add feather details to the chest and bottom of the bird.

Attach googly eyes to either side of the bird’s face with glue tape or a small dot of hot glue.

Your paper roll bird is complete! Enjoy displaying your birds or use them as part of a larger craft scene.