How to Make a Cage Out of Sticks
- 1). Collect sticks from a local forest or park, making sure they are clean and dry. Strip any bark from them. The thicker the sticks, the stronger your cage will be. It's important that your sticks are the same size, so you can break larger sticks into smaller pieces once you've determined your cage's size. Popsicle sticks also work. The number of sticks depends on how large a cage you want to build. As a general rule, collect at least 50 sticks before beginning construction.
- 2). Construct a frame for the cage beginning with four sticks that are the same size. Lay two of the sticks on a flat surface, parallel to each other. Take the other two sticks and lay them on top of the first two sticks perpendicularly so the four sticks together make a square. Glue the top two sticks onto the bottom two sticks where they meet to make the corners of the frame.
- 3). Create the sides of the cage by laying two sticks on a flat surface parallel to each other as you did in Step 1. Take several more sticks and place them perpendicular to the first two sticks, gluing the tops and bottoms to the first two sticks you laid out in this step. Space the sticks evenly or place them side by side if you want to enclose the cage. This step must be repeated four more times to construct three more sides and a roof.
- 4). Turn the cage over now that the sides and roof are complete. You can repeat Step 2 and make this either a floor or another side. Alternatively, you can create peaked roof by gluing four sticks pointing inward from each corner and meeting in the middle above the structure. Cover this peak with fabric or more sticks to complete the peaked roof.
- 5). Paint the sticks and add decorations such as ribbon, small ornaments, and even small, wallet-sized pictures of family members, friends, and loved ones. Tie fishing line to the peak of the roof so you can suspend it from a ceiling or tree branch.
