Owls are one of my favorite animals. They are so cute and yet a little ominous too – perfect for this time of year! I grew up in rural Pennsylvania where it was rare not to hear the owls at night. Now that I am a little more “city”, I don’t hear them nearly as often and I miss their calming, quiet calls.
With all of the colorful leaves starting to fall and some creative juices flowing at our house, I decided to put my kiddos to work making this cute fall craft, a little owl of their own!
WHAT YOU’LL NEED:
-2 styrofoam balls (we used balls that were 3” in diameter)
-Leaves, small sticks
-A few toothpicks
-Glue
-Embellishments ( pretty leaves, some flower blossoms — anything you can find in nature to make your owl unique!)
WHAT TO DO: Start by cutting one of those styrofoam balls in half for your child. An electric knife is the simplest way to get through the styrofoam but a good, sharp knife works too! You will need 1 half and 1 whole styrofoam ball.
While mom or dad is handling the styrofoam, kiddos can snip the stems off of all of the leaves.
Next, put the flat side of the halved styrofoam ball down on the table and insert a few toothpicks into the center. Then, add a bit of glue and press the whole ball down onto the toothpicks to hold the two balls together.
Let this dry for a bit to be sure that it is secure. Next, let your little artists go to work gluing leaves all over the styrofoam owl sculpture. We used plain old school glue and lots of it. I am sure Mod Podge would work great, too!
After covering the whole base with leaves, it’s time to add embellishments. Use a colorful leaf to make the owl’s breast or a couple of pretty leaves for wings. Find some big round objects for eyes and a bud or a pebble for his beak. Glue some sticks along the bottom for his claws.
HOW TO CHANGE IT UP:
-If you don’t live in an area with colorful fall leaves, this project would be equally adorable with construction paper or tissue paper. Give your little ones pieces of colorful paper to rip into bits that they can then glue onto the styrofoam. A little bonus fine motor strengthening and bilateral coordination with this version!
-Depending on the type of styrofoam you use, regular glue may not work, but a hot glue gun will do the trick! Mom or dad will have to help with this part, but little ones can direct. :)
SKILL AREAS ADDRESSED: Bilateral coordination, fine motor skills, sensory integration, cognitive skills, grasp, visual motor integration
