Everyone wants to give something special for Christmas. Christmas is a time to be with family, and you want to give your family something that will matter to them. Two years ago I decided to make birdhouses for Christmas because I wanted to make something, I didn’t want to buy something. It means more when you make a present yourself because it means that you put your time and energy into it, you didn’t just buy something and pick it out randomly. I also wanted to have something very simple and easy to make, so I decided to make birdhouses. At first I thought that was not simple, but once I started, I found that it was easier than I expected.

To build the birdhouses I first needed a design. I found a photo from the internet and estimated the measurements. After that, I bought a 12” by 8’ pine board. I cut my pieces for the prototype out of that board, and put them together. After I assembled it I thought the prototype looked too big, so I shortened all the measurements by 1 inch and made a new one. I liked the smaller model best so I replicated it 5 times, put some spare varnish on them, and I was done. It impacted me because it was my first project ever in carpentry and the process was very enjoyable. It taught me a lot about the tools, the methods of cut and shape the wood, and the different types of wood. I actually never knew that you could use different types of wood for different projects. It made me more confident in myself because I knew that I could make objects specifically out of wood that people would enjoy.

When I gave the people my birdhouses I was very exited and nervous at the same time. When they saw the birdhouses they went absolutely crazy over them! They were surprised that a ten year old with no carpentry experience could make 6 very sturdy birdhouses. I impacted the people that I gave the birdhouses because they were totally blown away that I made them myself. I didn’t just buy them from a store, I actually designed and built them myself. You can get them custom made, but it is still no the same. I also impacted at least 6 different families of birds. They could have built a nest for themselves out of sticks and grass. But now they can always have a roof over their head, and more protection from predators. Now, those families of birds can focus on food for their chicks, or on moving south for winter. I think that the lesson is that anyone can do anything if they only put their minds to it. That’s what I did.