How to Make a Crocodile Puppet
Whether it's chasing Captain Hook or lengthening the nose of the Elephant's Child, a crocodile adds excitement to any puppet play. The puppeteer controls this crocodile puppet from below using a pair of rods, which allows the croc to wriggle its way into any situation.
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Things You'll Need
- 2 empty paper towel tubes 1 ping-pong ball 2 dowels or pencils Black and green markers or paint Green construction paper Glue String Paper punch Scissors
Instructions
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Use the green marker or paint to color the ping-pong ball. Allow it to dry.
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2
Cover the paper towel tubes with the green construction paper. Cut a long, skinny triangle for the croc's tail. Also, cut out four legs; they can be any shape you like, even as simple as strips of construction paper.
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3
Cut two rectangles of construction paper that are about 3 inches long. These will be the croc's upper and lower jaws. Glue them to one side of the ping-pong ball. You may need to cut a notch into the short edge of the rectangle that is against the ball to make the paper stick to the ball better.
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Punch holes in one end of each tube, one across from the other. Tie the tubes together with the string to form the body. Don't tie them too tightly; make sure to leave "wiggle room" so the croc can move side to side and up and down.
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Glue the ping-pong ball into the end of one tube. Glue the paper tail into the end of the other. Glue the paper legs along each side. Use the black marker or paint to add eyes, nostrils and scales.
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Place the puppet belly-up on a table. Measure halfway along the length of each tube and make a light pencil mark. At this point, use a pencil or scissors to poke a small hole that is about the same size as the pencils or dowels you intend to use for the control rods.
Gently insert the dowels or pencils, being careful not to crush the tubes. Add a dollop of glue to the point where the rods enter the tubes. Allow to dry. -
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Hold the completed crocodile by the rods and move the two parts independently of each other. Add roars and growls and proceed to terrify!
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Tips & Warnings
You can add a lining and teeth to your crocodile with red and white construction paper. Make a shorter crocodile by using one tube and cutting it in half. Make a longer crocodile by adding more tubes. Make a more wiggly croc by cutting the long tubes in half and tying them together.
Be very careful when punching the holes to insert the sticks. Children should have an adult's help to do this.
