DLTK's Crafts for Kids
Paper Bag Hippopotamus Puppet

Contributed by Leanne Guenther

This is a fun and easy cut and paste paper craft that uses a paper bag as a base to make a hippopotamus puppet.

You can make a grey hippo or use different colors for a blue, white or any other colored version if you feel like getting creative.

Materials:

• a paper lunch bag (white would be good for this project, but brown is ok too)
• grey paint or grey paper  (or color of your choice if you're making a different colored hippo),
• a printer,
• some crayons,
• scissors,
• glue,
• paper for the printer

Optional:

• big wiggly eyes.

Print the Template:

• Print out the template of choice (color or b&w)
• Color (as required) and cut out the template pieces.

Get Familiar with Your Paper Bag:

• I'm going to walk through this slowly.  Look at your paper bag.
• It should be closed and flat like a piece of paper.  Just like when they are brand new.
• On one side, it's all smooth.  This will be the BACK of your puppet
  • It's important that all the kids get the back and front straight at the beginning!
• On the other side there's a flippy tab (which is typically the bottom of the bag when you're carrying your lunch around...)
  • This flippy tab will be the HEAD
• Lift the flippy tab up a bit.  Underneath of the tab will be the mouth,
  • When the child puts her hand in the bag, she'll be able to make the puppet talk.
• Look at the rest of the front of the bag.  (The 3/4 or so of the bag below the part with the flippy tab)  This will be the BODY.
• Look at the sides of the bag.  There should be a FLAP of paper.  
  • We'll be slipping the arms (template 2) into this flap.
  • If the kids goof and glue the arms onto the front or back of the bag, it isn't a big deal.
• OK, now that we're comfy with our bags, let's craft!

Template #1

• Grey Hippo:  Cover the paper bag with grey paper (just glue it on and trim) or paint the paper bag grey and let dry.
• Glue the bottom of the mouth under the flippy tab so it is sticking out when the puppet is closed.
• Glue the tongue underneath the flippy tab (so it doesn't show when the mouth is closed).
• Glue the teeth under the flippy tab so they're sticking out when the puppet is closed.
• Glue the top of the mouth on top of the flippy tab (onto the HEAD) and the bottom of the mouth under the flippy tab (onto the BODY)
• Glue the eyes onto the HEAD.  If you like, you can use wiggly eyes instead of the paper template pieces.

Template #2

• Glue the arms into the FLAP.
• Glue the ears onto the sides of the HEAD.  Make sure you only put glue on the part of the ears that will be touching the HEAD ...  Not the parts that will touch the BODY so you don't end up gluing the ears to your work surface.
• Glue the tail onto the BACK.

Templates:

• Close the template window after printing to return to this screen.
• Set page margins to zero if you have trouble fitting the template on one page (FILE, PAGE SETUP or FILE, PRINTER SETUP in most browsers).

Template 1:  (color)   or   (B&W)

Template 2:  (color)   or   (B&W)