Young Artist Project
Cardboard Caterpillar
Let’s make a crazy cardboard caterpillar! This project is easy to convert into a snake, worm, or train.
Step 1
Gather supplies! You will need:
- Scissors
- Thin cardboard or card stock
- Five cardboard toilet paper tubes
- Paint or colored paper
- A pencil
- Glue (tacky glue, white glue, or if a parent can help you can use a glue gun)
- A black marker
- String
Supplies you may also want but do not need:
- Felt or multi-colored paper
- Yarn
- Decorative tape or washi tape
Step 2
Paint your cardboard tubes. We put a coat of gesso on our tubes first. You could also color these with markers or cover them with colored paper. One of your tubes will be the head. Keep that in mind as you decide how to use your paint. When our tubes were dry, we covered them with decorative tape. When you are done decorating your cardboard tubes, cut each one in half.
Step 3
Trim each tube so that it has a tab on both ends. Save one tube half and only cut a tab on one side. This will be the head or front.
Next, you will cut a hole in each tab. Join each tab by threading a piece of string through the holes and tie a tight knot.
Step 4
Let’s decorate the head! We put on two antenna and used left over felt beads for eyes. We glued a round piece of paper over the open end of the tube and glued on a mouth.
We wanted to make a fuzzy caterpillar so we made yarn pom-poms and glued them on top.
Step 5
Time to make it wiggle and crawl!
Finished
How did yours turn out? Share your creations at ce@pcad.edu or tag us on Instagram @pcad_ce
To learn more about our upcoming classes, please visit pcad.edu/classes