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.

 

Photobucket

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 – AliciaMister Seahorse
June 22 – AdelineDecorating Photo Frame with Polymer Clay
June 23 – SandraDinosaur Galore!
June 24 – WinnieRecycled Train Craft
June 25 – SusanWe’re Building a Farm
June 26 – AnnGoopy Goodness
June 27 – JustinaCelebrating Spring
June 28 – AdoraCreating a Family Tree
June 29 – ReginaSmoop Dogg
June 30 – SarahCrazy Box Cake
July 1 – JenniferPlant Poke
July 2 – PamelaMake-your-own-car today!
July 3 – Ming YuanDIY Carousel Craft
July 4 – DominiqueMaking a Subway
July 5 – KarenEgg Craft

 

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  1. Ai Sakura June 25, 2012 at 12:57 pm Reply

    well done Susan! I can’t sew well so most crafts I do are no-sew kind haha.. these look so fun and cute 🙂

    • Susan June 26, 2012 at 3:00 pm Reply

      Thanks Ai. These needed some time to see together but the end product looks really good.

  2. Winnie June 25, 2012 at 3:31 pm Reply

    Great craft… Inspired to do some myself. Love the quiet book idea too. Will definitely come by to see the outcome.

    • Susan June 26, 2012 at 3:01 pm Reply

      Sophie’s looking forward to see her quiet book too. Hopefully it’s keeps her occupied before meal times when we’re out.

  3. Ruth June 25, 2012 at 4:22 pm Reply

    These are farm animals are really cute! Looking forward to seeing the book!

    • Susan June 26, 2012 at 3:03 pm Reply

      I’m probably going to add on some horse and sheep next. Oh yes and my next one will be on “under the sea”, inspired by your post.

  4. Madeline June 25, 2012 at 10:25 pm Reply

    Nice one Susan! Great idea =)

  5. Adora June 28, 2012 at 1:00 am Reply

    oh so fun! looks easy too! i’ve been wanting to do this but never seem to be able to get down to it! and now poppy may be too old for it :S

    • Susan June 29, 2012 at 9:04 am Reply

      I don’t think she’s too old for it. You can try making a puppet stage and it can become a show and tell or storytelling session for her 🙂

  6. Summer July 3, 2012 at 1:33 am Reply

    I’ve been wanting to sew finger puppets for the longest time, you just motivated me to do it real soon. Yeah I think these are super adorable and not that hard to sew together, best of all the materials are quite cheap to get too! Love your final product!

  7. […] 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 […]

  8. […] with polymer clay June 23 – Sandra -Dinosaur Galore June 24 – Winnie-Recycle Train craft June 25 – Susan – We’re building a farm June 26 – Ann- Goopy Goodness June 27 – Justina –  […]

  9. […] The other day, I asked her what she wanted to be when she grows up. I was half expecting her to say, a farmer, which she did the last time and we ended up making farm animal puppets. […]

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