Paper Puppets and Carton Creatures

Lions and Tigers and Turtles, Oh My!

A fun morning making creative critters of all kinds with recycled containers, scraps, and left-over art supplies. I love the intensity, followed by the delight! A great process-to-product balance in child satisfaction. I've done this workshop many times over the years. One parent once joked: "This isn't recycling, this is delaying." Maybe so---but in the process, a lot of imagination, problem solving, and creative thinking happens. And joy!

Shake, shake, shake!

When we have Shape Capers parties, one of the craft projects kids enjoy making are tube shakers. Cap off one end of toilet paper tubes with paper discs and tape, add a spoonful of dried beans or corn, cap off the other end, and decorate the tube. Then shake, shake, shake!

After I made the dough for the previous post, I had an empty salt box. I thought it would be fun to make shakers with different "fillings" that kids could guess by their sound. I cut a window in the box, covered it with a piece of plastic cut from a cup I found in our recycling box (any clear plastic container will work. Tape it on firmly.), and then cut a "peep hole" when I covered the tube with paper. I cut up the cover of last year's seed catalog to get the fancy flowers.

Add just a handful of ingredients so they can't be seen through the window unless it's tipped.

You could even make a flap over the window. Oatmeal boxes would work very nicely for this project, too.

Possible fillings:

Beans, rice, pasta, corn, jingle bells, gravel, seashells....see what else you can find!

Top Photo: Richard Kimball Photography

Deck the Halls

Remember paper chains? There's something about the repetitive motion of this simple project that is calming and satisfying. It's also a great fine motor activity for little fingers that can result in an impressively
l - o - n - g chain of success.

This is the time of year when we seem to get even more paper in the mailbox than usual---fliers, catalogs, mailers, etc.
Take the cover weight ones, along with other bright colored paper you can fish out of your paper recycling box, and cut them into strips. If you are lucky enough to have a paper cutter, great. I'm an xacto knife and straight-edge fan. In either case, do this while the little ones are sleeping so that their fingers will be far away. If you're a scissor person, they can help.

Make the first loop. Then the kids can follow a simple mantra: poke through, glue, press. Glue sticks, paste, or a dab of white glue will do the trick. Coated papers take an extra pressing.

And paper chains aren't just for the holidays. Recycle birthday wrapping paper into strips to festoon the next birthday party.