Cereal Box Puppets & Masks

Even if you don't frequent a craft store you can still craft without fancy supplies.  You can make a lot of stuff with your computer printer and random materials sitting around your house or in a recycling bin.  I figured I would post this little craft, not because it's original - but because it can spark some other ideas what to do with reusable materials.  For these crafts I'm just using a cereal box and computer print-outs.  Did you know you can find hundreds of print-outs for your child's favorite characters on PBS Kids, Nick Jr., or Playhouse Disney?  These sites offer great craft ideas and plenty of coloring pages for your little ones.

Age: 1+
Mess/Cleanup: Just some paper scraps.  Nothing too messy.
What You Need:

• Cereal Box (or any flat board, styrofoam, carboard, poster board, foam board, or oak tag board)
• Computer Print-Out or Coloring Book Page(s)
• Popcicle Sticks (for puppets)
• Elastic Bands (leftover from birthday hats) for masks
• Glue Stick
• Hot Glue
• Scissors
• Crayons/Markers

Why I Like This Craft:

I use cereal boxes for everything.  Anytime I need to reinforce paper, I dig through my paper recycling bin and pull out some flatboard.  It's pretty easy to make, fairly sturdy for play, and I don't feel too guilty when it ends up in the trash.

Step 1:
This isn't rocket science, but here you go!  Flatten out cereal box.

Step 2:
Rough cut around characters on print-out (we used Team Umizoomi printables from Nick Jr.)

Step 3:
Using glue stick, adhere print-out to cereal box.

Step 4:
Cut out character.

Step 5:
Using hot glue gun, attach character to popcicle stick.  Or to make a mask, punch 2 holes on either side of face and tie on elastic band.

This is the impromptu costume we made for Chick-Fil-A Customer Appreciation day.

-Rose  @-}---