If there are two things that couldn’t be more perfect for each other, it’s crafts and animals. Think about it. When you sit down to do an art project, or draw a picture, what’s the first thing that comes to mind? I bet it’s some type of animal. And if it isn’t, I bet that you eventually incorporate something into the project that is animal related.
Kids love animals. Mine have stuffed animals and smaller animal figure toys. They love going to the zoo and interacting with the neighborhood pets. Whenever we talk about going to visit grandma and grandpa, my little guy makes sure to mention their dog and cat as well. They are part of the family, after all!
I say all of this because I want to stress how much fun it is (especially for kids) to do crafts that involve making animals. Or drawing animals. Or piecing together animals from random objects. Next time you have a trip to the zoo planned and the day is ruined because of the rain, bring the zoo to you. Sit down with your kids and do a zoo animal craft. They’ll be disappointed they couldn’t get the real deal, but an animal that they can say they made is just as special!
source: Kids Activities Blog
1. Foam Cup Animal Trio
Hit two birds (err…three zoo animals) with one stone by trying a craft project that uses Styrofoam cups to create a monkey, giraffe and tiger. This cute trio can be made by decorating the cups with a little paint and pipe cleaners, and then adding faces to the animals with a sharpie or other tool.
Stop by Kids Activities Blog for more info on this triple threat project.
source: Clare’s Little Tots
2. Paper Plate Peacock
Being the rainbow fanatic that I am, I love any project involving lots of colors. If your kids are also drawn to colorful crafts, why not make a beautiful peacock? This is a great way to practice color recognition, and also allows your children to get creative with the embellishments they use to decorate the peacock.
For a list of materials you’ll need for this, head over to Clare’s Little Tots.
source: SheKnows
3. Clothespin Alligator
In 6 simple steps, you and your child can take a plain clothespin and transform it into the cutest little alligator you’ll ever see (not that alligators are cute anyway). Add a little green paint, use pieces of pipe cleaner to make arms & legs, and top it off with accordion style construction paper and googly eyes. Sounds easy enough, right?
Check out the 6 step process for crafting this gator over on SheKnows.