When I think of winter snow and ice my mind goes to the penguin; a flightless bird who also swims in the water. Their tuxedo-like appearance makes these birds so attractive and their infamous waddle walk is fascinating to children. Did you know that penguins only live in the southern hemisphere of earth, places like Antarctica, southern Australia, New Zealand, and the coasts of southern South America? This craft is simple to make with a paper plate and a few art materials usually found at home. My little penguin also has a blue bow in her hair as she is also the mascot of Peku Publications.
Materials:
Paper plate (not the plastic or foam kind)
Black poster paint
Paintbrush
Heavy-duty glue or low-temperature glue gun
Construction paper
Pencil
Googly eyes (optional)
Enhancement materials for the bow (optional)
Directions:
Step 1 – Prepare your work surface, covering the table and floor with newspaper to catch any paint or glue spills. You may want to cover your budding artist with a paint smock to protect his/her clothing.
Step 2 – Take a white paper plate and fold the two sides inward (about 1 ½ to 2 inches) to make the penguin’s side wings. Next fold down the top about 2 inches as well. Add a dab of glue to keep these folded pieces in place.
Step 3 – Next, help the child paint the folded parts with black poster or acrylic paint. Leave the inside of the white paper plate as is. This process gives the penguin its tuxedo look.
Step 4 – While the paper plate dries, proceed to draw the facial features and feet on construction paper. With young children it is best to concentrate on geometric shapes that they are familiar with. Use circles for eyes (I cut out lavender circles to showcase the googly eyes that are glued on top), a triangle beak, and I drew hearts for the kids to cut out for the two feet. Note: the eyes can also be made with construction paper. Invite your child to cut out the shapes – this makes great scissor practice.
Step 5 – Glue the pieces in place.
Step 6 – As an extra feature, I made a blue bow for my penguin’s head. You can enhance this bow with faux jewels, sequins, or glitter if you wish. This is part of our Peku Penguin’s look and is optional depending on if your child wants a girl or boy penguin.
This penguin makes a cute wall decoration or if you put a strip of magnetic tape on the back, this cute winter animal will adorn your refrigerator.