SUPPLIES:
• tongue depressors and/or popsicle sticks, cut and glued into base shapes
• green, yellow, white and brown craft acrylic paint (could substitute with markers)
• paint brushes, water, palette
• yellow and blue felt (Giraffe’s ears; bird’s beak and eye band)
• green feathers
• googly eyes
• yellow pipe cleaner for Giraffe’s ossicones
• burlap (Giraffe’s mane)—another option is brown felt cut into a fringe
• scissors and white glue
INSTRUCTIONS:
Have all pieces cut and ready: Bird’s beak, eye band and feathers; Giraffe’s ear, mane and ossicones.
Paint the tongue depressor sticks. Hint: start by painting a base coat of yellow on Giraffe and then add brown spots. For Bird, paint him green and then add his white belly and a yellow stripe up by his beak. (Apply paint thinly or it will take a long time to dry!)
When paint is dry glue details on the characters. Hold each piece until the glue sets.
Leave glue to dry (about 30 minutes).
Now you have Giraffe and Bird puppets! I also like using them as bookmarks.