Caroline
{This post contains affiliate links for your convenience. Read our Disclosure Policy for more information.}
Hurry and whip out the paper plates and paper bags because you and your kids are going to love making this cute hippo. The addition of the mini marshmallow teeth really make this one super fun for preschoolers!
Supplies you will need:
- paper lunch bag
- 2 small paper plates
- gray and flesh tone paint
- paintbrush
- gray cardstock paper
- googly eyes
- mini marshmallows
- scissors
- tacky glue
- stapler
Tutorial:
1. Paint & prepare needed shapes
Start by cutting the sides off of your two paper plates to make the shape of a hippo face. Fold one of them half. Paint the bottom of the unfolded paper plate gray. Paint the inside of the folded paper plate with your flesh tone paint and one half of the bottom of the paper plate gray. Let them dry completely.
2. Paint your paper bag
Also, paint your paper lunch bag gray and let it dry completely.
3. Make ears & nostrils
Cut two ears and two nostrils out of your gray cardstock paper.
4. Add hippo face
Use your stapler to staple the hippo mouth onto the bottom of the gray paper plate. Then staple the hippo face onto the bottom of the paper lunch bag.
5. Glue all face details
Glue your ears, nostrils and googly eyes onto your hippo.
6. Glue teeth
Finish your hippo by gluing teeth on the inside of the mouth with your tacky glue.
My daughter and I have been having so much fun with our hippos. To make the hippo more personalized, try painting it a different color like pink, blue or purple. As a side note, I definitely recommend gluing the marshmallow teeth on with the tacky glue. It tends to be more secure than traditional school glue and since the puppet will be played with, it needs that extra bit of strength.
