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Supplies:
- Paper towel, wrapping paper, or toilet paper roll
- Paper to cover tube (optional) – Can use construction paper, brown bags, or wrapping paper
- Markers and/or crayons
- Elmer’s Glue or glue stick
- Scissors (Adult supervision needed.)
- Hole punch (You can use scissors if you don’t have a hole punch.)
- Scotch tape
- String, yarn, or ribbon
- Pipe cleaners, popsicle sticks, pencils, or rulers for marionette handle
- Miscellaneous items around the house (twist ties, buttons, etc.) to use for decorating
Directions:
- If you are using a paper towel roll, cut it in half.
- Take the half tube and cut it again about ¾ of the way down. The smaller part will be the head.
- Decorate the tube using paper, colors, paint, and/or stickers.
- Starting with the longer part of the tube, have an adult cut or punch holes on one side for legs. Cut/punch holes for the number of legs your creature will have. It can have as many or as few legs as you want.
- Make legs for your creature, using items around your house (twist ties, pipe cleaners, yarn, etc.). Once the legs are inserted in the holes, tape them in place.
- Create the head (small piece of paper towel tube). Add whatever details you want.
- Now you are ready to connect the head to the body. Punch or cut two holes on the opposite side of the legs. Then punch or cut two holes on the small tube – one on top and one directly underneath it.
- Cut 2 pieces of yarn, string, or ribbon the same length – at least 18 inches. Tie one piece of yarn to the front and one to the back of the long tube. Secure inside with a knot and tape.
- Take the yarn on the front side and slide the head on it. Make a knot inside the small tube to secure the head in place.
- To make the marionette cross bar, take to pencils (or rulers or craft sticks) and cross them to make an “X”. Tie the two pencils together using pipe cleaners, twist ties, or tape.
- Add the two strings attached to the puppet across from each other on one pencil. Secure with tape.
- Put on a play with your puppet and entertain your family!
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Supplies:
- Half a cardboard egg carton
- Scrap pieces of newspaper or other paper
- Tape: masking tape, or painter's tape, or scotch tape
- 7 rubber bands
- Plastic spoon
- Pompoms or cotton balls or mini marshmallows
- Various clean containers
Directions:
- Stuff each section of the egg carton with balled up newspaper.
- Close the lid and secure with 2 rubber bands, placed around the body of the carton.
- Wrap 2 more rubber bands horizontally around the carton, just below where the lid closes.
- Tape a rubber band to the handle of the spoon by attaching a long piece of tape to one side of the handle and inserting a rubber band before attaching the tape to the back of the spoon.
- Tuck the handle of the spoon under the rubber bands that were attached horizontally around the carton. The scoop part of the spoon should be facing away from the egg carton.
- Stretch the rubber band that's attached to the spoon up and over the spoon and around the back of the carton.
- Wrap 2 more rubber bands around the body of the carton so there are 4 rubber bands around the carton helping to keep it closed.
- Place a cotton ball in the spoon and shoot!. Place clean containers where you can aim your cotton ball.
To watch the project, go to: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V4o4eC5E_Qs
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Supplies:
- Empty tissue box
- White scrap paper
- Markers
- Glue
- Old catalogues or magazines
- Colorful paper (wrapping, scrap booking, or construction paper work well)
Directions:
- Decorate your tissue box with markers or colorful paper. Stickers can also be fun!
- Cut your white scrap paper into 2 or 3 inch squares to make little cards.
- Draw one person, place, or thing on one side of each card. Leave the other side blank. You can also choose to cut out images from old catalogs and magazines and glue them to the cards.
- Place all finished cards (once they are dry) inside your decorated box.
- To play, draw three cards from the box and use them to tell a story. Play with others by taking turns drawing a card from the box and adding to a group story.
Watch the project at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vwflHOAeCSo
