How to Make a Cardboard Mouse

Make a paper version of this furry creature out of a cardboard egg carton.

While a real mouse would be a very unwelcome houseguest, a cardboard mouse makes a useful (and much more sanitary) pet toy or craft for kids. Make a mouse toy in just a few minutes using cardboard supplies that you probably already have in your home, such as an egg carton. Attach a length of yarn to the mouse and use it as a toy for your cat. Let kids create a whole family of cardboard mice from all the cups in the egg carton.

Things You'll Need

• Cardboard egg carton
• Pink card stock
• Scissors
• Craft blade
• Glue
• Black marker
• Yarn (optional)

Instructions

1. Cut one cup from the cardboard egg carton. A cup is the portion of the carton that holds an egg.

2. Squeeze the sides of the cup, forming it into an oblong shape with two long sides and two narrow ends. Pinch the narrow ends slightly to secure the shape.

3. Make a ½-inch slit on each of the egg carton's two long sides, about 1 inch from one of its narrow ends. These slits are for the mouse's ears.

4. Draw a 1-inch circle on a piece of pink card stock. Draw a small ½-inch square connected to the edge of the circle, representing a flap. The shape should look like a circle with a tab or flap coming out of it. This is one of the mouse's ears.

5. Repeat Step 4 to make another ear shape. Cut out the two ear shapes with scissors.

6. Insert the flaps on the ear circle into the slits in the egg carton cup. Inside the cup, fold the flaps down and glue to the inside of the cup.

7. Draw another small circle (about ¼-inch) on the pink card stock. Cut it out and glue it to the narrow end of the cup closest to the ears. This is the mouse's nose.

8. With a marker, draw whiskers on either side of and two eyes above the nose.

9. Cut a rectangle from the pink card stock that is ½-inch wide and about 4 inches long. Twist the rectangle into the shape of a skinny a tail.

10. Glue one end of the tail to the inside of the other narrow end of the cup, allowing it to stick out.

11. Cut a 5-foot length of yarn and glue one end to the inside of the cup just under the mouse's nose. This optional step allows you to pull the mouse across a room, if desired.

Tips & Warnings

• Substitute a pink pompom for the mouse's nose and use wiggle eyes instead of drawing the eyes with marker. Glue brown bits of yarn or chenille wire next to the nose to represent whiskers.

• Paint the egg carton cup beforehand to make a white, brown, black or spotted mouse.

References

• DLTK: DLTK's Hicory Dickory Dock Clock and Mouse Craft