Bird's Nest

Total Time Needed:: Afternoon Or Evening

This costume -- complete with two paper birds -- is the perfect disguise for trick or tweeting.

Materials

Red hooded sweatshirt
Brown leggings and shoes
12 grocery bags
Corrugated cardboard
Twine

Yellow and red poster board
Velcro strips
Six googly eyes
Two red socks
Double-sided mounting tape

Instructions

For the nest: Remove the bottoms of ten paper bags, then cut along one corner seam so each bag is a 17- by 37-inch rectangle. Cut each rectangle in half. Fold one of the sheets in half, then in thirds. Cut a slit three-quarters of the way up the center and up the side folds; trim the bottom edge to a point. Repeat about 19 times to make enough strips for the nest.
With a hole punch, make two holes in the top of each strip. Cut a three-inch-wide piece of corrugated cardboard to a few inches longer than your child's waist; punch holes in it every 1-1/4 inches. Thread an oversize needle with twine and sew on the strips, overlapping them. To put the skirt on, wrap it around your child's waist upside down, tie the twine ends, then let the strips fall outward.
For the beak: Mark an 8- by 8-inch square of poster board. Fold on the center line, then fold in on the outer lines. Tape the two outer sections together to form a triangular beak shape. Tape two poster board straps to the beak, adding Velcro strips to hold it in place around your child's head. Glue each googly eye on a tabbed poster board circle; glue tab onto the beak.
For the wings: Cut a wing shape out of poster board, trace it twice on red felt, and cut out. Sandwich the poster board between the two wing shapes and attach them together using mounting tape. Fold the wings in half; staple the fold once to give the wings some flounce. Cut two long strips of felt for shoulder straps and staple them to the top of the wings. Lay the straps over your child's shoulders (like a backpack), then tie the ends behind her waist.
For the baby birds: Tape two googly eyes onto each sock. Mark and cut two four-inch squares of poster board in the same way as for the large beak. Join the beak pieces with a folded strip of poster board and tape. With her hand in the sock, your child can push her fingers into the beak. Tape sock in place. For the wristlet, fold and cut a 5- by 37-inch strip of paper bag, fasten it around your child's wrist with masking tape, then fan out the edges.