A Few St. Patrick's Day Crafts

Here's a few crafts from St. Patrick's Day past.  

Toilet Paper Roll Leprechaun

Cardboard Tube Snake

Toilet Paper Roll Valentine's Day Ladybug

Ladybug Supply List: 1 toilet paper roll, black paint, red construction paper, glue, scissors, pom-poms, pipe cleaner, google eyes

Begin by painting your toilet paper roll black and allow to dry.

Draw two hearts on the red construction paper.

Cut out your hearts (ladybug wings).

Glue the bottom of your hearts together and then glue black pom-poms on them.

Add your google eyes and pipe cleaner antenna.  We punched a small heart for the mouth and glued it on.

Book Suggestion: My daughter and son both love Ladybug Girl.  Ladybug Girl makes her own pint sized fun when her brother tells her she's too little to play with him.  This book is great for both boys and girls.

Cardboard Tube Spooky Spider

 Spider Supply List: 1 toilet paper roll, paint, 4 pipe cleaners, glitter glue, google eyes

 Paint your toilet paper roll and allow to dry.  Add some google eyes and glitter glue.  Thread your pipe cleaners through the bottom of the toilet paper roll to make some legs.

 

Book Suggestion:  Halloween Bugs: A Trick or Treat Pop Up Book is a pop up book that we've had for a while and I love bringing it out at Halloween.  My kids love the cute bug pictures, and the funny text. 

Toilet Paper Roll Bat

Bat Supply List: 1 toilet paper roll, black paint, construction paper, google eyes, glue, scrap of white paper

Begin by painting your toilet paper roll with black paint and allow to dry.

Cut some wings out of your black construction paper.

Add some glue to your wings and lay the painted toilet paper roll on top.

Add google eyes and a few fangs and your bat is ready to fly around the house.

Book Suggestion: Stellaluna isn't necessarily a Halloween book, but it is one of our all time favorites. My kids both love the part at the end of the book where Stellaluna is reunited with her mom.  When I was pregnant with my daughter Kiley, Cole decided he wanted to name her Stellaluna.

Toilet Paper Roll Octopus

Octopus Supply List: 1 toilet paper roll, paint, google eyes, scissors

Begin by painting your toilet paper roll.  I let Cole pick out any paints he wanted and mix them up.

Cut 8 slits half way up your toilet paper roll.  We did this when it was still a little wet and it made it easier to roll the octopus tentacles up.

Roll up your tentacles and add some google eyes.

 Book Suggestion: The Tickly Octopus is a great book for young kids.  The bright illustrations and a cute story.  The Tickly Octopus loves to tickle little fish and make them giggle and wiggle.

A Few Favorite Zoo Animals

Here are a few of my favorite past zoo animal projects.  It's fun to look back at all the different crafts we've created in the past year.  You can click on the image or the link below and see the instructions for making each of these cuties.

Elephant

Giraffe

Lion

Cardboard Tube Zebra

 Zebra Supply List: 1 toilet paper roll, zebra print contact paper, glue, scissors, google eyes, white cardstock, black marker

Cover your toilet paper roll in zebra print contact paper.  We found ours at Target in home improvement aisle. 

 Draw a zebra head and legs on your white cardstock and draw stripes on them.  I did the drawing of the actual body parts and let Cole fill them in with stripes.  

 Cut out your Zebra parts.

Glue your legs and head onto your Zebra body and he's ready to play.

Book Suggestion: What If the Zebras Lost Their Stripes? explores the idea that there is more to a person (or a zebra) than a superficial exterior.  This is a great story about overcoming differences and achieving harmony.

Wandering Wednesday {Toilet Paper Roll Marionette Birds}

These cute little friends come from a site called Red Ted Art.  I found them while perusing Pinterest.  They are Marionette Birds and they are fantastic.  There are detailed directions on the website, and they don't look very hard, so we might attempt some of these in the future.

Toilet Paper Roll Penguin

 Penguin Supply List: 1 toilet paper roll, black, orange & white paint, scissors, google eyes

 Using some super sharp scissors have an adult cut 2 triangle arms and a triangle beak.  Then use a pencil to trace out a belly area, 2 feet and eyes.  We had planned to paint on eyes but ended up using google eyes instead.

 Paint the majority of your penguin black with a white belly and orange feet & beak.

Allow to dry and adhere your google eyes.

Book Suggestion: Your Personal Penguin is an adorable book about a Hippo and a little Penguin who wants to be his friend.  My kids love this one and we read it at least once a day.  

Cardboard Tube Bumble Bee

 Bee Supply List: 1 toilet paper roll, yellow construction paper, yellow and black paint, glue, google eyes, scissors, pipe cleaner

 Begin by painting black and yellow stripes on your toilet paper roll.

 Poke two holes in the top of what you want to be the head of the bee and thread your pipe cleaner through.

 Cut your yellow construction paper in an oval shape and decorate if so desired.  Glue wings and google eyes on your toilet paper roll and allow to dry.

Book Suggestion: With school just beginning for most kids, The Very Greedy Bee is a great book to read and discuss the importance of manners, being kind and sharing.  The Greedy Bee likes to eat all the nectar and not share with any of his friends.  One day he eats and eats and eats and can't fly home so he has to rely on the kindness of some other bugs to help him.  Kids will love the bright pictures and cute story.

Toilet Paper Roll Fish

 Fish Supply List: 1 toilet paper roll, tissue paper, scissors, piece of ribbon, construction paper, google eyes, packing tape

 Roll your toilet paper up in the tissue paper and secure it with tape.

 Tie one end with the string and tuck the extra tissue paper from the other end into the cardboard tube.

 Cut some slits in the fish tail.

Add your google eyes and fins and your fish is ready to go for a swim.

Book Suggestion: If you haven't read The Pout-Pout Fish then you don't know what you've been missing.  Little kids will love the repetitive verse and playful rhymes as well as the adorable pictures.