Monster with movable arms & legs to print, cut out, colour and make! (Monster Puppet)

Here's something monstrous & crafty for you to make! A monster machine monster puppet! Free activity for over the Easter Holiday, and far less calories than a chocolate egg! although the monster might want one of those too...

Monster Puppet hiding behind curtain....

To make this monster puppet you will need -

- The monster template, download it here - Monster Machine Puppet.pdf

- Some thin card or a cereal box

- Colouring materials, crayons, pencils etc

- Scissors

- 4 split pins (the small pliable ones you can find in stationary and craft shops) this allows the legs and arms to move.

- A wooden dowel or chopstick to stick your monster onto.

- Sticky tape to attach the wooden stick.

- Possibly glue to stick the paper print out onto card or tracing paper to transfer the image to card.

 - Possibly an adult to use the split pins and a big fat needle or other pointy object to make the holes.

The materials to make the monster puppet, wooden stick not pictured!

 1- Print out the pieces onto thin card or glue or trace template onto cereal box card

Image traced onto card and coloured in, I've gone with red and purple

  2- Colour in all the pieces, make him nice and colourful!

Pieces cut out ready to attach the arms and legs!

3- Carefully cut out all the pieces and sort the arms and legs (he wont be happy if they get mixed up!)

Back of monster with arms, legs and flat split pins

4- Attach the arms and legs, probably best done by an adult, I'd recommend using a large needle to poke holes at the crosses for the joints, (tip, which you probably all know anyway,  get a ball of blue tack or something similar, put this behind the mark then poke the needle through, I actually used a tiny sword) then carefully push the split pins through the holes in the body first, then a corresponding arm or leg. secure the pins at the back by separating the two prongs and flattening.

The finished monster, before being attached to wooden stick...

5- You should have a happy monster puppet with moveable arms and legs.

6- Using tape attach your monster onto the wooden stick, now he's ready to play!

 My monster decided to rampage through a city, but yours might be less aggressive...

Happy monster puppet rampaging through a city...

If you do make a monster puppet do send a picture, myself and the monsters would love to see your creations! nicola@monstermachine.co.uk

You may also enjoy having a go at making my monster pop up card! 

Monster activity page on The Monster Machine website

The Reading Agency Summer Reading Challenge- Creepy House

I'm really pleased to announce that The Monster Machine has been selected by the Reading Agency as one of the titles for the 2013 Summer Reading challenge!

The Summer Reading Challenge encourages children aged 4 to 11 to read six books during the long summer holiday and will be running in libraries across England, Wales and Scotland this summer. There's a different theme each year and this year the theme is 'Creepy House'.  Which I think is a fantastic choice!

There are two collections of books, a younger collection and an older collection, there is sure to be something for everyone..

The Summer Reading Challenge should be coming to a library near you this Summer so look out for it!

Do visit the official site at the Reading agency for more info and find out how you can get involved, and happy reading!

The Reading Agency - Summer Reading Challenge