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Crafts

Cardboard Tube Bear Craft

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We’re building a zoo.

Unfortunately, it’s not a zoo that you can come and visit. But, it’s one that we can share with you and one that you can make yourself.

This should be fun!

Let’s make a zoo full of cardboard tube animals. We’re going to start with this friendly cardboard tube bear craft.

Create a zoo and fill it with this simple cardboard tube bear craft. It's a simple and fun kids craft that makes use of recycled materials.

Supplies needed for your cardboard tube bear

Cardboard tube (empty tp roll)
Brown craft paint
Black craft paint
Brown construction paper
Black marker
Googly eyes
Glue
Scissors

How to make your cardboard tube bear craft

Begin by choosing the color for your bear. My oldest daughter wanted to make a brown bear and the youngest wanted to make a black bear. Either one is a super cute choice.

Use the color you chose to paint your entire tube.

While your paint is drying, cut two ear shapes and a round snout out of your brown construction paper. (See the picture above for examples.)

Use your marker to add the details. Color the insides of your ears and add a nose and mouth to your snout.

Once the paint on your cardboard tube is dry, glue on your eyes and snout.

Glue your ears to the top inside of the tube so they’re peeking out from the top. They should be placed directly above your eyes.

Once your glue is dry, your bears are ready to play with.

Our zoo is just beginning, but it’s off to a great start.

What else should we add? Hippos, tigers, alligators, pandas… They all sound like fun! Let’s get crafting!

Create a zoo and fill it with this simple cardboard tube bear craft. It's a simple and fun kids craft that makes use of recycled materials.

You may also like one of these fun crafts for kids:

Cardboard Tube Hippo Craft

Spoon Bear

The Cutest Bear Crafts for Kids

How to Draw a Grizzly Bear at Art Projects for Kids

Utah Crafts for Kids at 3 Boys and a Dog

Create a zoo and fill it with this simple cardboard tube bear craft. It's a simple and fun kids craft that makes use of recycled materials.

Find your supplies here:

In addition to some cardboard tubes from your recycle bin, here are a few other supplies to help you make your cardboard tube bear.

Cat Bookmark Craft for Kids

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Everyone in my family loves cats.

We think they’re silly and they’re definitely fun.

We love to cuddle with them and pet them until they purr. Don’t you just love the sound of a cat purring?

So, of course, we had to add a pretty orange tabby cat bookmark to our growing pile of animal bookmarks.

Mark the pages in your book with this cute tabby cat bookmark. It's easy to make when you follow these step-by-step instructions.

Disclosure: There are Amazon Affiliate and other affiliate links in this article which means, at no additional cost to you, we could receive compensation for our recommendations. You can read our full disclosure policy on our Disclosure Page for more details.

This cat bookmark is very simple to draw, just follow the step-by-step tutorial.

In no time, you’ll have a super-cute cat peeking over the top of your current book.

Mark the pages in your book with this cute tabby cat bookmark. It's easy to make when you follow these step-by-step instructions.

Supplies Needed for Your Cat Bookmark:

Milk cap
White Cardstock
Pencil
Ruler
Watercolors
Black marker
Orange marker
Scissors
Craft Knife

Mark the pages in your book with this cute tabby cat bookmark. It's easy to make when you follow these step-by-step instructions.

How to Make Your Cat Bookmark

Step 1: Start by tracing your milk cap. This will be your cat’s head.

Step 2: Next, make your cat’s chin, just a little bit pointier. I drew a pointy chin and erased the original pencil line.

Next, use the ruler to make two straight lines down from the head, about 6 inches in length and 1-1/4 inches apart. Connect the two lines with another straight line at the bottom.

Step 3: Now, go back to your head. Add two small triangles for the ears. Also add a small triangle, point side down, in the middle of the head for the cat’s nose.

Draw a wide, rounded “w” shape coming down from the nose for the mouth. Add two small eyes and whiskers if you desire.

Step 4: Finally, draw your paws. Start from your head and draw a rectangle. Draw two half circles on the bottom of this rectangle and add some claw marks in each.

Mark the pages in your book with this cute tabby cat bookmark. It's easy to make when you follow these step-by-step instructions.

Add your color and finish your cat bookmark

Once you’ve finished drawing, get out your watercolors to add color. I wanted an orange tabby cat, so I painted a light coat of orange watercolor over the entire bookmark.

Feel free to make your cat any color. Make a grey cat, a black cat, a multicolored cat, or even leave your bookmark unpainted for a white cat.

Once the paint dries, use your black marker to trace all your pencil lines. Use your orange marker to add your stripes and the details in the ears.

Mark the pages in your book with this cute tabby cat bookmark. It's easy to make when you follow these step-by-step instructions.

Carefully out your bookmark along your black lines.

Finally, use the craft knife to cut around the two sides and the bottom of the smaller rectangle for your paws. You do not want to cut the top edge under the chin.

I have this ceramic craft knife that I love to use. It’s easier to hold, stays sharper, and is much safer than a retractable craft knife. If you are ready to let your child use a tool like this, this is a great choice. If not, have an adult do this step.

Now, you’ve got a happy cat to peek up from the top of your book.

It won’t purr like a real cat, but it’s definitely as cute as one. And, it’s a great way to keep your place in your favorite book.

Mark the pages in your book with this cute tabby cat bookmark. It's easy to make when you follow these step-by-step instructions.

You may also like one of these fun craft projects:

Koala Bookmark

Cardboard Tube Penguins

Cardboard Cookies

Paper Plate Cat Craft at I Heart Crafty Things

My Must Have Kids Craft Resources

Crafting with your kids is so much easier when you keep a few supplies on hand. I keep a supply of recycled materials, such as cardboard tubes, cardboard boxes, newspapers, paper scraps, egg cartons etc. as well as supplies such as paint, construction paper, and glue that we use often. Here are some supplies you may want to keep on hand to make many of the crafts that we share here.


Cardboard Tube Hippo Craft

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Gah. Hippos are so cute, aren’t they?

And, this cardboard tube hippo craft is about as cute as it gets. Those eyes, those teeth, that nose. Yep, these are super-cute!

So, let’s get crafting! Grab some cardboard tubes and we’ll make some hippos.

Grab a few things from the recycle bin to make this cardboard tube hippo craft. It's fun to make and it's fun to play with.

Disclosure: There are Amazon Affiliate and other affiliate links in this article which means, at no additional cost to you, we could receive compensation for our recommendations. You can read our full disclosure policy on our Disclosure Page for more details.

Supplies Needed for Your Cardboard Tube Hippo Craft

Empty cardboard tube (from a toilet paper roll or a paper towel roll cut to size)
Small piece of thin cardboard (from a cereal or cracker box)
Two different shades of grey craft paint (a darker color and a lighter color)
White craft paint
Glue
Googly eyes
Black marker

Grab a few things from the recycle bin to make this cardboard tube hippo craft. It's fun to make and it's fun to play with.

How to Make Your Cardboard Tube Hippo Craft

Begin by painting your cardboard tube with the darker grey paint for the body of your hippo. Also, paint your smaller piece of cardboard with the same color of paint.

Let each piece dry before you move on to the next step.

This is a great time to take a book break! Try a hippo book like Fiona the Hippo or Hippos are Huge! while you’re waiting for the paint to dry.

Grab a few things from the recycle bin to make this cardboard tube hippo craft. It's fun to make and it's fun to play with.

After the paint is dry, cut two circles from your thin piece of cardboard for your ears.

Use your black marker to color in the center of each circle. Only the top half of your ear will be showing on your hippo, so make sure you can also see the black in the middle.

Grab a few things from the recycle bin to make this cardboard tube hippo craft. It's fun to make and it's fun to play with.

Next, use the lighter color of grey to paint an oval in the top half of your cardboard tube. This is going to be the hippo’s snout.

Use your white paint to make two square teeth at the bottom of your snout.

Once the paint on your snout is dry, draw two long ovals with your black marker for your hippo’s nostrils.

Glue your eyes above the snout and glue your ears directly above your eyes. You’ll want to glue the ears to the inside of your tube so they peek up from the top.

Grab a few things from the recycle bin to make this cardboard tube hippo craft. It's fun to make and it's fun to play with.

Add your hippo to your cardboard tube zoo or make a whole bloat of hippos for pretend play. (A group of hippos is called a bloat. Did you know that? I didn’t!) No matter what, just have fun playing with your super-cute hippos!

Grab a few things from the recycle bin to make this cardboard tube hippo craft. It's fun to make and it's fun to play with.

You May Also Like One of These Animal Crafts

Koala Bookmark Craft for Kids

Cardboard Tube Elephant Craft

Cardboard Tube Tiger Craft

10 Happening Hippo Crafts for Kids at Artsy Craftsy Mom

My Must-Have Kids Craft Resources

Crafting with your kids is so much easier when you keep a few supplies on hand. I keep a supply of recycled materials, such as cardboard tubes, cardboard boxes, newspapers, paper scraps, egg cartons etc. as well as supplies such as paint, construction paper, and glue that we use often. Here are some supplies you may want to keep on hand to make many of the crafts that we share here.

Fun Weather Crafts for Toddlers

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Do you like to craft with your toddler? They’ll have so much fun with all of these awesome weather crafts for toddlers that I found!

I’ve got ideas for snow, rain, clouds, and sunshine that are simple enough that your toddler can do. But, they’ll also be fun for older kids, which makes these crafts perfect for siblings to do together.

Let’s grab some supplies and get ready for a fun craft project with your toddler!

Your little ones will love making all of these great weather crafts for toddlers. You'll find fun ideas for clouds, rain, sunshine, and snow.

Disclosure: There are Amazon Affiliate and other affiliate links in this article which means, at no additional cost to you, we could receive compensation for our recommendations. You can read our full disclosure policy on our Disclosure Page for more details.

Grab a fun book to go along with one of these fun crafts. This makes for a delightful activity time together with your kids.

For example: Read Little Cloud by Eric Carle along with the Cotton Ball Painted Cloud project.

Weather Crafts for Toddlers

Weather Crafts for Toddlers

You'll enjoy all these toddler weather crafts that celebrate rainy days, clouds, and sunshine. They're all easy enough for toddlers to enjoy, open-ended, fun, and creative. These crafts are a perfect way to spend some quality time with your kids.

Making Umbrellas

Brighten a rainy day with this simple paper plate umbrella craft. It's open-ended, fun, and makes a pretty window decoration.

Making Clouds

Let your toddler paint these simple clouds with a cotton ball. It's easy and so much fun!

Cloud Mobile

Photo Credit: craftulate.com

Your toddler will have great fun gluing cotton balls to make this simple cloud mobile. It's a fun craft that they'll be proud to display.

Squish Painted Sun Craft

Photo Credit: www.123homeschool4me.com

Celebrate sunshine with this fun mess-free painting craft. It's beautiful, easy, and fun!

Q-tip Painted Snowflake Crafts

Photo Credit: www.notimeforflashcards.com

Paint with Q-Tips to make this simple snowflake craft. This is great craft for fine motor skills.

Bubble Wrap Rain Craft

Photo Credit: www.123homeschool4me.com

Save a bit of bubble wrap so your kids can great this fun printed rainy scene. Prep the umbrellas ahead of time (or use a sticker) to make this craft go smoothly.

Rain Cloud Gravity Painting for Kids -

Photo Credit: alittlepinchofperfect.com

Let gravity do the work to create this fun rain cloud craft. Your kids will be amazed and love their finished product.

Puffy Paint Clouds

Photo Credit: www.notimeforflashcards.com

Try this simple puffy paint clouds craft. It's a completely open-ended and easy craft. Your little one will definitely want to create more than one cloud!

Super Easy Snowball Painting

Photo Credit: brilliantlittleideas.com

Create a snowy day with this simple printmaking craft. It's so much fun to paint with a puff ball! (Psst... this is another craft that is great for fine motor skills.)

Tissue Paper Rainbow Craft for Kids

Photo Credit: whereimaginationgrows.com

Decorate your window with this simple rainbow craft. It's colorful, fun, and looks absolutely beautiful!

So, what do you think? Don’t these ideas look like fun?

Choose a few ideas and plan some fun activity time with your toddlers. They’ll love the chance to create and will have a project that they’re proud of.

Which of these weather crafts for toddlers is your favorite?

How to do crafts with toddlers

If you want to have a great time doing crafts with your toddler, there’s one important thing you need to do. You need to let go of all your expectations.

Your toddler has a mind of their own, so their project may look nothing like your plan. And, you know what, that’s ok! The important thing is that they have fun and you have fun with them. (And, you won’t have fun if you worry about the outcome!)

These toddler weather crafts are all appropriate for 2-3 year olds, but that doesn’t mean your finished product will look like the picture. Introduce the activity, show them how to use the supplies and let them have fun.

For example, with the Paper Plate Umbrella craft, you can cut the paper plates ahead of time and cut out the handle. But, let your toddler do what they want when they decorate their paper plate. They may smear, finger paint, use a small amount of paint, or mix all the paint colors together! Let them own the project and do what they want. They’ll have tons of fun and so will you!

You may also like one of these toddler activities:

Simple and Fun Shape Crafts for Toddlers

Cork Print Tree Craft for Toddlers

Leaf Shape Collage for Toddlers and Preschoolers

Sponge Paint Process Art at Busy Toddler

Combine this activity with a fun weather book

I always love to combine a book with an activity. And, luckily there are some awesome weather books to go along with a fun weather craft. Here are a few that I like:

Maisy’s Wonderful Weather Book by Lucy Cousins

Biscuit’s Snowy Day by Alyssa Satin Capucilli

Let it Rain by Maryann Cocca-Leffler

Or you can try any of the other choices below. These books are perfect to go along with any of these crafts.

Cardboard Tube Penguin Craft

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There’s no better way to inspire my kids to do a craft project than to offer up something cute.

And, penguins are definitely as cute as it gets.

Have you ever met a person that didn’t think penguins were cute? I haven’t. They’re irresistible.

So, grab a few supplies and let’s get starting crafting. We’ll turn them into a cardboard tube penguin so cute you’ll want to make a whole colony.

Grab some recycled materials to make this cardboard tube penguin craft. They're so cute and so easy to make that you'll want a whole colony of penguins.

Disclosure: There are Amazon Affiliate and other affiliate links in this article which means, at no additional cost to you, we could receive compensation for our recommendations. You can read our full disclosure policy on our Disclosure Page for more details.

Supplies Needed for your Penguin Craft

Empty toilet paper roll tube (or paper towel tube cut into smaller pieces)
Pencil
Black craft paint
White craft paint
Glitter paint
Googly eyes
Scrap of yellow paper

How to make your cardboard tube penguin craft

Begin by drawing a large oval on one side of your cardboard tube.

Paint the inside of your oval white.

Next, paint the rest of your tube with the black paint.

Let it dry a bit before moving on to the next step.

Now, it’s time to add a little sparkle. We used some fun glitter paint to paint over our white oval. You could also use glitter glue to add sparkle.

After all your paint is dry – and it can take awhile, so go read a penguin book or two while you wait – it’s time to add your face.

Gather a couple of googly eyes and cut a small triangle out of your scrap of yellow paper. Glue both on the top half of your white oval to create your face.

Once the glue is dry, your penguin is done.

Grab some recycled materials to make this cardboard tube penguin craft. They're so cute and so easy to make that you'll want a whole colony of penguins.

Create a Cardboard Tube Penguin or two or three or more to create your own colony of these cute birds.

They’re so cute, they’re irresistible!

My must-have kid’s craft resources:

Crafting with your kids is so much easier when you keep a few supplies on hand. I keep a supply of recycled materials, such as cardboard tubes, cardboard boxes, newspapers, paper scraps, etc. as well as supplies such as paint, construction paper, and glue that we use often. Here are some supplies you may want to keep on hand to make many of the crafts that we share here.

You may also like one of these fun kids activities:

Puffin Masks

The Arctic Fox and Learning About Camouflage

10 Ways to Play and Learn About Polar Animals

Easy Origami Penguins at Red Ted Art

Penguin Number Names Activity at Rainy Day Mum