Let kids create & decorate the Fantasy Stick Puppets according to their own whims.

The fun in making puppets goes way beyond the making. Once the puppets are done, kids can stay busy for hours staging puppet shows. In this puppet craft tutorial, we’ll show you how to make the Giant Fantasy Stick Puppets, and include links to several other puppet crafts on www.styrofoamcrafts.com.

Here’s what you need to make Giant Fantasy Stick Puppets:

• STYROFOAM Brand Foam: 6” ball
• Wooden dowel, 7/16″ x 30″
• Acrylic craft paint, assorted colors
• Craft foamies: assorted colors
• Construction paper, assorted colors
• Embellishments: Assortment of yarn; buttons; ribbons; trims; wiggle eyes; chenille stems; drinking straws; tissue paper; toothpicks; candy cups; pom poms; felt; small balls of STYROFOAM Brand Foam
• Tools: Stiff paintbrush; wooden skewer, pencil or chopstick; wide mouth jar; scissors; thick, white craft glue

To make your Giant Fantasy Stick Puppets:

1. Insert skewer, pencil or chopstick in foam ball to use as handle. Paint foam ball color of your choice. Let dry.

2. Place head on large mouth jar and get ready to decorate! Blue puppet sports spiral hair cut from orange craft foam; ears made from a foam ball cut in half; a nose made from a foam ball; and mouth, cheeks and eyes cut from craft foam. His green tie is made from craft foam and decorated with foamie polka dots. The purple teddy bear has a muzzle, nose and ears made from foam balls; her hair bow and collar are made from craft foam, as are her eyes and cheeks.

3. A few other ideas:

• Make hair by inserting pieces of yarn, drinking straws or chenille stems into top of head.
• Make eyes and a nose from craft foam or construction paper, or glue on foam balls, wiggle eyes, candy cups, buttons, pom poms.

Need more inspiration?  Here are two more puppet craft tutorials. Each photo links to the project instructions on www.styrofoamcrafts.com.

Fun & fanciful Capering Critter Hand Puppets.

Finger Friends are easy to make and use scraps from your stash.

Last week, Pam Corsentino and her son Sam won our Project Brick Kit.  Congratulations!  We’ll have another giveaway next week, so be sure to tune in next Wednesday for our Summer Craft Boredom Buster.

Till then, tell us how your kids are keeping busy this summer.

Happy crafting!

Sharon