2 weeks of creative fun – we’re building a farm

A few weeks ago, I was reading a couple of books  on “When I grow up”  with Sophie.

Before we went to bed, I turned to my little one and asked her what she wanted to be when she grows up. I was expecting answers like a teacher, or a zoo keeper or maybe even a mom. But instead, she replied, a farmer.

“A farmer?” I questioned with a raised eyebrow.

“Yes, a farmer. I want to have 2 pigs and a duck and a cow.”

I hate to burst her bubble, but here in Singapore, her farmer ambition may be a bit of a challenge.

 

Nevertheless, this mummy here decided to make her dreams come true by building her a barn full of farm animals. Well, almost… by way of a farm-themed finger puppets.

Materials needed are:

• paper and pencil to make the pattern pieces
• scissors
• felt in different colors
• pins
• needles and thread

 

Step 1. Using this template, cut out a paper pattern for the main body of the puppets you wish to make.

Step 2. Fold a piece of felt into two, giving you two body shapes and pin the pattern onto it. Cut out the shapes with scissors. Remove pin and pattern.

Step 3. Cut out any additional paper shapes, such as a beak, horns, ears from the pattern template and sew them onto the body. ( I wasn’t able to draw the ears in my template so you’ll have to wing it)

Step 4. Stitch eyes and nostrils where appropriate. I added beads for the eyes to make them more prominent.

Step 5. Sew the two body pieces together.

I tried getting Sophie involved by getting her to paste the nose and beaks. But I bought the wrong glue and they wouldn’t stay on for long 🙁

Tip:  After asking around,  a recommended brand of glue for gluing felt cloth is Elmer white glue, which you can buy from Artfriend.

The final product,  our farm animals – a rooster, pig, duck and cow.

I’m challenging myself to turn these finger puppets into more useful toys. So I’m going to take the next few days and turn these craft into a farm themed quiet book. This idea was inspired by Ruth’s post on a felt book that her son received as a gift.

 

A barn for our little animal friends

 A pond and open fields for the animals to roam about

 A quiet book would be a good alternative for kids to get busy with instead of playing games on the iPhone or iPad. The idea of the quiet book is also to encourage kids to use their imagination to play and make up their own stories, like a day on the farm or if I’m an animal in the farm.

If you’re keen to see the final product, do hop by in a week’s time.

 

Don’t forget to check out the rest of the crafts that these other 13 ladies are doing, in our 2 weeks of creative fun!

 

Next up is Ann.

“An attachment parenting enthusiast, Ann quit her profession as an Early Childhood Practitioner to become a full-time stay at home mom to her new born in 2011.

Her blog is a reflection of her ever-changing roles as a mother, friend, wife, sister, and now a budding business lady.http://beautifulrevelry.com/ ”

 

 

 All 21 days of creative fun posts!   

June 21 – Alicia – Mister Seahorse
June 22 – Adeline – Decorating Photo Frame with Polymer Clay
June 23 – Sandra – Dinosaur Galore!
June 24 – Winnie – Recycled Train Craft
June 25 – Susan – We’re Building a Farm
June 26 – Ann – Goopy Goodness
June 27 – Justina – Celebrating Spring
June 28 – Adora – Creating a Family Tree
June 29 – Regina – Smoop Dogg
June 30 – Sarah – Crazy Box Cake
July 1 – Jennifer – Plant Poke
July 2 – Pamela – Make-your-own-car today!
July 3 – Ming Yuan – DIY Carousel Craft
July 4 – Dominique – Making a Subway
July 5 – Karen – Egg Craft

 

Tagged: art, felt, finger puppet