It’s Earth Day and now, more than ever, we really need to sit up and pay attention. So after you reuse your Ziploc bags, turn off unnecessary lights, and vote the right people into office, I say take a break and craft.
This year, celebrate Earth Day with your kids by making a cute, and also useful craft project. This penguin book end reuses a drink bottle, a lone baby sock, and a Tyvek shipping envelope. This one comes from my first book, Project Kid.
Clean out the bottle and remove all labels. Fill it with sand and replace the cap.
To make the penguin’s head, stuff the baby sock with cotton balls and slip it over the top of the bottle.
To make the eyes, cut two circles about the size of a plain M&M from white felt. Glue a tiny black pom-pom to each. Glue the circles onto the sock.
To make the beak, fold a piece of yellow felt and cut a 1⁄4-inch triangle on the crease. Glue the crease onto the sock about 1⁄2 inch below the eyes.
To make the earmuffs, bend the wire into a headband shape. Cut the felt bead in half and glue a piece to each end of the wire, rounded side facing out. Slip the earmuffs onto the penguin’s head and glue to secure.
Cut two wing shapes (pointed at one end, cut straight across on the other) from the Tyvek envelope, about two-thirds the height of your bottle and about 3 inches across at the widest point. Cover the wings with strips of washi tape and glue the top, straight edge of each wing around the neck of the bottle.
To give the penguin a scarf, braid three 20-inch strands of yarn (the finished scarf will be about 16 inches long). If the yarn is thin, you may want to double or triple it to give it some thickness.
Finally, to make the feet, fold a 3-inch square of yellow felt in half and cut a 2-inch-tall half heart shape on the crease. Glue it to the bottom of the bottle, rounded points facing out.
