Peek-a-Boo Penguin Craft & Fun Penguin Facts
My preschoolers loved putting these Peek-a-Boo Penguins together, and the fact that they used recycled materials was an extra bonus!
The truth is I rarely throw away egg cartons, and I have enough right now that we could do an egg-carton craft a day for weeks! Since we've been talking a lot about penguins during the last week or two, I thought this craft would be a hit...and it was!
First, let's give credit where credit is due! Originally, I was going to glue two egg carton cups together with the flat parts touching, but my 6-year old thought they would look better like this. She was right! Plus, you can hide goodies inside, like these fruit snacks (peek-a-boo!):
Making these Peek-a-Boo Penguins is so easy, you'll want to build a whole rookery!
Simple Supplies:
- egg carton cups
- foam sheets or construction paper
- wiggly eyes
- black & white paint
- glue & paint brushes
Easy How To:
1. Prepare the pieces: for each penguin, cut out 2 egg carton cups, 2 feet, 1 diamond shaped beak, and a strip of paper to connect the cups together. Staple the egg cartons together as shown. You may need to re-tape or staple these after the cups get painted, depending on how wet your kiddos get the paper. :)
2. Introduce your kiddos to the variety of penguins (see the Penguin Notes below these instructions), and let them create their penguins! You can use school glue to attach the feet, beak, and eyes, but we used a "cool" hot glue gun. Even my 3-year old loves pulling the trigger and watching the glue come out!
Enjoy your penguins!! My kids suggested I hide a treat in them during nap time! They also quickly created some "penguin games" to play with them. I, of course, insisted they all stop by my "studio" for pictures!
We had the penguins based on real-life penguins:
The "alien penguins:"
And a group picture:
Don't you just want to make a Peek-a-Boo Penguin your pet and keep it forever?!! My kids did!!
And, because the science teacher in me can't resist, here are some fun penguin facts:
* The Little Blue Penguin (aka the Fairy Penguin) is the smallest penguin in the world. It is 16 inches tall.
* The Emperor Penguin is the tallest penguin in the world. It can be more than 3 1/2 feet tall!
* The fastest penguin is the Gentoo. It can swim 22 miles per hour!
* Penguins are birds that cannot fly, but they swim very well.
* Penguins have a "catastrophic molt" every year. It takes about 2-3 weeks to lose all their feathers and re-grow them. They cannot swim and fish without those feathers! In order to survive the molt, they have to eat extra food before they lose their feathers.
* Scientists argue over which penguins are different species. Some think there are 17 different species while others think there are 20!
Do you love penguins too? Be sure to check out our Craft Stick Penguins and {FREE} Penguin Easy Reader!
Happy Educating, Carla
I may share at any of these parties!
Comments
You bet, Stephanie!