Inspired by Pinterest, and in need of some Halloween decorations, Little Miss Cleaver and I got crafty this weekend and jointly made some little monsters to jazz up the jadeite shelf in the dining room.
As a wee toddler, there's a limit to LMC's crafting skills, but I couldn't have made these guys without her, and I'll admit to having way too much fun making these myself.
To make some monsters of your own you'll need a few simple supplies:
- Toilet paper and/or paper towel cardboard tubes
- Finger or tempura/poster paints
- Googly eyes
- Hole Punch
- Pipe Cleaners
- Black makers
- Big sheet of paper
- Finger-painting Toddler
First, let your toddler go wild with finger painting on the big sheet of paper. When it's good and goopy, take the tubes and roll across the finger paint for a fabulously mottled effect. If you have older kids (or are an adult), you can paint the tubes directly, but the finger-painting method is a lot more messy and fun!
Once the paint is dry, try to discern your monster's personality. Are they scary or silly? Does it need multiple eyes? Does the top need to be smushed down into horns? Is there a smear or crease that would make a particularly good eyebrow or mouth?
Alternatively, let the toddler put stick-on googly eyes wherever they'd like and go from there. LMC preferred to put them on her chairs and clothes, so I had to improvise. Use the black marker to draw on eyebrows, teeth, scars, etc.
Using the hole punch, make a few armholes and thread a pipe cleaner through and bend into arms or legs.
Find a suitable display/play space and enjoy!
(Keep spare googly eyes on hand for when toddler inevitably rips them off to put on her shirt.)