Cardboard Chicken Coop

My in-laws live about 6 hours away from us and one of my son’s favorite activities to do when we go to visit is to check their chicken coop for eggs. It is always such a fun surprise for him when he opens up the coop and finds an egg. My son always runs proudly back to “nana” to show her his special new “treasure.”

Since we can’t always drive 6 hours to go gather eggs, I decided to make my sons their own chicken coop right at home. One that doesn’t require feeding or cleaning and is made out of my favorite repurposed material….cardboard!

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To create this chicken coop, I started by finding a large box. I then cut off the front side of the box. Next, I covered the outside with red duct tape and added details with white masking tape.

Next, I took paper towel rolls and cut them in half. I then hot glued them to the inside of the box. I slanted them so that balls can roll down into a basket.

Finally, I cut square holes into the side of the box where the paper towel rolls met the side of the box to allow an opening for my sons to start rolling the balls down the tubes.

After my boys started playing with this chicken coop (which they absolutely loved), I also added an old egg carton to the activity. My oldest son would gather the balls (“eggs”), and then place them in the egg carton and count them. It’s a great way to work on counting or simple math such as addition or subtraction. 

What you will need:

cardboard box, hot glue, red duct tape, white masking tape, Styrofoam balls, basket, box cutter, paper towel rolls (I used 3)

Directions: 

1. Cut off the front side of the box. 
2. Cover the outside of the box with red duct tape. Add details with white masking tape.
3. Cut the paper towel rolls in half
4. Hot glue the paper towel rolls to the inside of the box on a slant
5. Cut holes in the side of the box where the paper towel rolls meet the side of the box to allow a spot for your child to start the balls rolling
6. Place a basket below the paper towel rolls
7. Have your child roll the balls (“eggs”) down the tubes and into the basket. You can also give them an old egg carton for them to place the balls into. For added learning, have your child count the “eggs.” You can also take away or add “eggs” to work on addition or subtraction. 

Inspired by: learning_in_d

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