I don’t know about where you live, but here in the midwest, the weather has been unpredictable lately. There will be a few glorious days in the 50’s and then an ice storm will hit. This is what happened to us this past weekend. So, not only was school cancelled, but my girls couldn’t play outside because it was too icy. To say they were a little stir crazy would be an understatement! In these desperate situations, I try to come up with a fun activity that we can do inside with supplies that I already have on hand. We recently made some Q-tip snowflakes that were a huge hit on a dreary day. This time around, we made some water bottle penguins and they saved the day!
These little penguins are so adorable and my 3, 6 and 8 year old could all play a part in making them. My preschooler loved pushing the cotton balls down into the water bottles. My school aged girls absolutely loved playing with the foam and giving the penguins a little personality. The fun didn’t stop when the craft was over. They played with their penguins, making up stories and scenarios all day. So cute! Next time you are desperate for an activity whether it’s yucky outside or not, whip up some of these little guys! I love that this project requires a lot of things that you probably already have if you tend to keep a craft stash. It’s easy, frugal and fun…what more could you ask for?!
Water Bottle Penguins
The printable of the instructions are at the bottom of the post, but here is what you will need:
Felt Foam Sheets Googly Eyes Water Bottles Cotton Balls Hot Glue Gun Black Paint Foam Brush
First you will want to remove the label on the water bottle.
Then paint about two-thirds of it with black paint. You may want to do 2 coats of paint.
After the paint has dried, fill the water bottle with cotton balls. I used a wooden skewer to push the cotton balls down about half way through and then continued filling it up.
Cut out some wing shapes out of black foam.
You will also need to cut out feet, the beak and a black strip for the head.
Wrap the black strip around the lid and hot glue in the back to attach. Glue the wings on the side as well.
To make the hat, measure a piece of felt around the head to make sure it will be the right size to fit over the head.
Then, glue the strip to form a cylinder shape.
Tie a piece of string around the center of the cylinder and cinch tight.
Trim off the top and strings and glue to attach to the head. Glue on the eyes and beak as well.
Wrap another piece of felt around the neck and glue down for a scarf.
Glue the feet onto the bottom of the water bottle and you now have a penguin!
Make a bunch to form a cute little penguin family.
Make these little guys next time you are stuck inside on a dreary day and they will be sure to cheer up your little ones! If you’re looking for more fun ways to upcycle used water bottles, be sure to click on over to see how to make an Anti-Gravity Galaxy in a Bottle. Shake it up and the glitter settles by going up instead of down! These are so easy to make and they’re so cool to watch!
