Welcome to another Wacky Workshops project – a fun puppy puppet made out of toilet rolls.

My last few projects have concentrated on using recyclable materials you probably already have on hand. If you haven’t already seen them, check out Get Organised With These Great Recycling Projects and Marble Run Fun So Easy to Make.

This week’s project is no different. It’s easy to make a fun puppet playmate with some cardboard tubes and string.

PUPPY PUPPET

MATERIALS

• 2 x toilet rolls
• Thick string, rope or wool – about 80 cm long
• 2 x paddle pop sticks – or you could use sticks from a branch
• Paint
• Scissors
• Glue
• Markers
• Hole punch

METHOD

• Paint the rolls and let them dry.
• Glue the sticks together to form a cross.

• Cut one roll in half.
• Using one of the cut halves, cut a figure eight shape – this will form the ears.
• Glue the ears to the top of the other cut half and press in the middle, to make them stick up.
• Punch two holes, side by side, near the end of the uncut roll.
• Thread a 20 cm piece of string or rope through these to form legs.

• Cut a pipe cleaner in half and wind around the bottom of the string to form bendy feet.
• Knot at the ends so the string will not come out.
• Repeat on the other end of the roll.
• Punch a hole at one end of the roll, opposite the leg holes.
• Punch a hole in the cut half-roll and another one directly opposite.
• Knot a 40 cm piece of the string or rope and then thread from the inside of the long roll (the body) through the hole.
• Leave a length of about 5 – 10 cm and then knot again before threading through both holes in the smaller roll (the head).
• Leave a length of around 20 – 30 cm before tying off onto the paddle pop sticks.
• Punch another hole at the other end of the roll.
• Knot a piece of string around 40 cm long and thread it through the hole from the inside and tie off onto the sticks at the other end of the string.
• Glue a tail to the back and add facial features, using the marker or glue on some googly eyes.
• That’s it. You now have a puppy puppet pal to play with. Why not experiment with the tail and face to make other puppet pets, such as a cat?

I hope you enjoyed this project. Be sure to share if you did.

Happy crafting and have a gleeful week, Tamuria.