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Birdhouse Memo Board

Total Time Needed:: Afternoon Or Evening

Just as the birds return in spring, so too does many a family's hectic schedule. This easy-to-make chalkboard key rack will help you remind your kids, or vice versa, of what's up next: sports practice, graduation parties, and so on.

Materials

1 ¾- by ¼-inch strip of pine lattice (cut into one 10-inch length and one 12-inch length)
Pine board, 20 by 11 by ¾ inches
Pencil
Handsaw or table saw
Green chalkboard paint (we used the spray type)

Chalk
Four #16 carpet tacks, hammer
Permanent markers (black and other colors)
Drill with 11/64- and 3/8-inch bits
Golf tees, craft glue (optional)

Instructions

Hold the two pieces of pine lattice in place on top of the pine board to form the birdhouse roof, as shown, and have your child trace along the upper edge. Remove the lattice and saw the board along the traced lines. Paint the board according to the chalkboard paint manufacturer's directions (a parent's job).
Once the paint has dried, season the message board with chalk, again referring to the directions on the paint can. Now you can help your child nail the roof pieces in place with carpet tacks.
With a black permanent marker, color a 2-inch-wide hole in the center of the board. Use the 11/64-inch bit to drill a row of four evenly spaced holes (for the key ring pegs) about 1 inch up from the bottom of the board.
Next, use the 3/8-inch bit to drill a hole (it should angle slightly upward) centered just under the black hole for a chalk perch. Finally, color white golf tees with permanent marker and, when dry, push them into the peg holes, securing them with glue if needed.