Jessica Walrond-Robertshaw

Do you want to give nature a little helping hand?

It's becoming more and more difficult for birds to find nesting spaces thanks to the loss of hedgerows and trees to make way for building sites. By putting nesting boxes for birds in your garden you could provide a safe space for birds such as blue tits to call home.

Although this activity will need to be done mostly by older kids with adult supervision, younger children can definitely get involved with the decorating. And, of course, everyone will have fun bird spotting and checking for signs of nesting once it is completed.

Perhaps you could get some binoculars and a print out of popular garden birds to check which ones you can see using your brand new bird box.

Why not also make a DIY bird feeder to help entice some birds to your garden? That way everyone can have some fun feeding the birds and you'll increase your chances of getting some feathered friends stopping by.

Whether it's Christmas, birthdays or the end of the school year, we've rounded up some of the best ideas for thank you cards for kids to make.

Everyone loves receiving something handmade. It makes the sentiment seem that much sweeter.

So take a look at these 10 ideas for homemade thank you cards which your children will have fun creating. There's some perfect for Christmas thank you cards.

Some DIY thank you cards that your teacher will love at the end of the year. And some great homemade thank you cards for handing out after a birthday party. We'll show you how to make cards that are sure to impress as well as keep your children occupied with a creative activity for a little while.

There's nothing better than an ice cream cone on a warm summer's day, so why not try these ice cream craft ideas for kids.

If you're looking for ways to keep your children entertained this summer, give one of these fun ice cream cone crafts a go. These adorable ice cream activity ideas will be a hit with anyone with a sweet tooth.

We've got 10 ice cream cone crafts for kids that look good enough to eat. From making ice cream cones with a paper plate to ice cream painting, there's something for everyone to enjoy and have some fun with.

Some of these ideas for ice cream crafts are also excellent for pretend play such as setting up a shop. Just make sure you share one with us!

For more crafts for kids, take a look at these ocean crafts and these lolly stick crafts.

Image © Sanga Park.

This origami tutorial will show you how to make a paper star, perfect for Christmas or maybe even a bedroom decoration.

There are so many different types of origami stars that you can make. Our paper star instructions will tell you how to make a 5 pointed star.

Origami is the art of folding paper to create either 2D or 3D shapes. The word comes from the Japanese oru 'to fold' and kami 'paper'.

Traditionally origami is created from a single sheet of square paper but you can use any number of shapes and sizes to create your masterpiece. There are some easy origami shapes that can be made as well as some more difficult ones. Some people compete to see who can make the most complex shapes.

There is special origami paper which is preferable to use when doing origami, but it's not essential. Origami paper is thinner and provides sharp lines and corners. It comes in all sorts of colours and patterns, perfect for making decorations which could be used to decorate a bedroom, party or your house at Christmas.

These easy origami stars are great for kids to try. Origami can take patience and practise but we think they'll have fun giving it a go.

Perfect for DIY origami Christmas party decorations, we hope they'll shine bright like a star and take centre stage this year. How about using some festive coloured paper such as gold and silver and tying some string to each star, making a row of paper Christmas star bunting.

For another origami paper tutorial to try, why not have a go at making this cute origami pig. You could also try some space themed crafts using these out of this world ideas.