Maker Monday: Let’s make cardboard penguins!

If Pittsburgh has an official bird, we’d have to give it up to the penguin. Your favorite penguin might be found at the National Aviary or the Pittsburgh Zoo, though many kids prefer the penguins that zip along the ice at the PPG Paints Arena. You can give a little love to any one of those penguins — or make a whole flock — with this fun Maker Monday penguin craft originally shared by the now-closed Pat Catan’s craft stores.

Kids can do this fun and easy Maker Monday project with items you may have around the house.

A note to kid makers: Please work with a parent or caregiver on this Maker Monday project and always be very careful when using tools of any kind.

Maker Monday materials you’ll need:

• a cardboard tube (left over from a roll of toilet paper, or from a roll of paper towels)
• a piece of thick black paper or chalkboard paper
• a piece of white cardstock or thick white paper
• a small piece of orange felt (orange paper also works)
• two wiggly eyes
• a glue stick or other glue
• scissors

Maker Monday instructions:

1. Cover the outside of the cardboard tube with white cardstock and glue the cardstock in place.

2. Press down to flatten one end of the tube, which will create a bit of a crease along each side. On that end of the tube, cut a slit 1/4 inch down on both sides along the creases, and then cut out so that the front is a half-circle (take a look at the image two photos down to see what the front will look like). The slits you have cut will extend below the edge of the half-circle. You will be tucking a piece of paper in there in a future step.

3. Cut your piece of black paper into the shape you see below. The bottom edge should be about 4 to  5 inches wide. This will create your head and flippers. Kids can practice this a few times to make sure they like the piece they cut out. Make sure the head is large enough, and make the flippers as pointy as you’d like.

4. Curl the black paper to arc the flippers forward and slide the piece into position in the slits on each side of the cardboard tube.

5. Cut your piece of orange felt to create two little feet and a triangle for the penguin’s beak.

6. Glue the beak and eyes in place, and glue the feet at the bottom of the tube.

Want more at-home fun making beautiful things? Check out more Maker Monday projects right here.

Do you have an idea for a Maker Monday craft project? If so, please share it with Kidsburgh! Send your maker activities to info@kidsburgh.org.