How to Make a Valentine's Day Box Look Like a Ferret

Help your child build a Valentine's Day box shaped like a ferret.

Valentine's Day is an exciting holiday for school children because they have the opportunity to give their friends gifts of cards and candy. While some teachers simply collect their student's valentines in bags, others encourage students to build decorative Valentine's Day boxes. If your child has the opportunity to build a Valentine's Day box, help him to create it in the shape of an animal like a ferret. Your child's one-of-a-kind ferret Valentine's Day box is sure to be admired by his classmates.

Things You'll Need

• Cardboard box
• White construction paper
• Black crayon
• Craft glue
• Black construction paper
• Clip-art picture of a ferret face
• Small duster or black feather boa

Instructions

1. Select an empty cardboard box to use for your Valentine's Day container. Because ferrets have long, lean bodies you should use a box that has a similar shape. Keep in mind, however, that your box needs to be large enough to accommodate all of your child's valentines.

2. Provide your child with several sheets of white construction paper and a black crayon. Have your child scribble on the paper with the black crayon to create the black and white pattern of your ferret's fur. You may look at pictures of ferrets to use as a model for your pattern if you desire.

3. Cover your cardboard box with the construction paper you just colored. Wrap the box with the paper or measure and cut a piece for each panel. Affix the paper to the box with craft glue.

4. Draw and cut out four ferret feet from a piece of black construction paper. Give your ferret soft, rounded paws or make them more realistic with sharp claws. Glue a foot to each of the bottom four corners of your Valentine's Day box.

5. Download a clip art picture. Enlarge the picture to a size proportional to the size of your ferret's body, print it and cut it out. Alternatively, sketch your own rendering of a ferret face. Glue your ferret's face to its body in the correct position above the front feet.

6. Glue a small, puffy feather duster or a 6-inch length from a black feather boa to your ferret's body between its two back legs to serve as its tail. You may also choose to simply cut a tail out of construction paper and glue it on.

7. Cut a 1/2-by-4 inch opening in the top of your ferret's body. Your student's classmates will insert the valentines into this opening. Once the box is full your child can turn it upside down and shake it gently so the cards fall out through the opening or he can reach inside with his fingers.

Tips & Warnings

• If the box you choose has a lid, cover the lid separately from the rest of the box so your child can open the box to remove his valentines.

References

• Activity Village; Easy Valentine's Crafts; Anne Clarke
• National Geographic: Black-Footed Ferret