kids' craft tutorial: diy owl with a recycled toilet paper roll

when i had my friend's daughters over for a sleepover the other day, i was planning on doing some kiddy crafts with them. one of our projects was making owls of recycled toilet paper rolls, and we also used the wiggly eyes and fuzzy sticks that CraftProjectIdeas had supplied the artsy ants with for free, for us to create something with.

overall it was a fairly easy and mess free craft, the only possibly messy part was letting them use markers which they both got all over their hands but it was not nearly as messy if i had let them use paint. would you like to see how we made them?

a tutorial on how to make

TOY OWLS 

from toilet paper rolls

what you will need: 

•  toilet paper rolls 

•  fuzzy sticks  (also called pipe cleaners, around 12 inches long)

•  wiggly eyes  (optional, you can also draw them in)

•  markers 

•  razor knife or scissors 

how to make these cute recycled owl toys - step by step instructions:  

1)  to help the kids out and get them started, i drew in the eyes, the beak, and the belly.

2)  to give the rolls more stability, you can already fold the ears before the kids start coloring. you do this by pushing the paper roll above the eyes and folding that part toward the inside, it'll give the top a moon shape. do the same on the opposite side of the face.

3)  now it's time to get creative! let the kids use their imagination and all the colors they want to decorate their paper roll owl.

4)  to give the owls their wings, i used a razor and cut a v-shape into the paper roll. once cut out and flapped out, the kids colored the wings as well.

5)  once all the decorative work is done, it's time for the feet. i used the razor again to poke two little holes into the roll and put the fuzzy wire through both of them.

6)  for the shape of the feet, or claws, i bent the wire to a zigzag, as you can see in the picture below.

7)  as a finishing touch we glued wiggly eyes to the owls. but you can also draw them in. as an afterthought i think i would've encouraged the kids to draw something around the eyes to make them look bigger. but they love them the way they are, that's most important.

done!

See more projects and tutorials:

•  Dancing Owl - creative toy d.i.y. tutorial with free download
•  Marble Run d.i.y. - build it with toilet paper rolls and duct tape
•  Snow Dome – create your own winter wonder land
•  Magic Bottle Tutorial - make it sparkle
•  Aspic-Preserved Hippos – a fun d.i.y. gift idea