Pipe cleaners are soft to touch and with a little imagination you can make just
about anything. This kids craft describes how to make pipe cleaner
people, animals or even birds. Or try these pipe
cleaner creatures for younger children.
Kids have fun with crafts.
You can find lots of Kids
Crafts in our Activity Library.
Make each of the parts (head, legs, body ) for your creation. See
the details for creating shapes if you
aren't sure how to make something. If you don’t like the way something turns out, straighten the pipe cleaner and start again.
Put the different parts together. Most pipe cleaner creations can be put together without glue, but they may come apart if you want to move them or play with them. When you decide a creation is finished, then glue them together.
The boy's head is made from a tight bundle with zig zag hair.
Insert long point of the zig zag into head bundle. Make a loose spiral
for the body. Make people arms and people legs. Fit them
into the spiral.
Girl (6 pipe cleaners & sequins)
Make a bundle for her head leaving it open at the top. Use 1/4 of a pipe cleaner to make a loose
S-shape for each of her curls. Hook them onto the top of the head bundle.
Use 1/4 of pipe cleaner to make a very small bundle to cover the top
of her head.
Make a spiral for her upper body, and skirt for her lower
body. Insert arms and legs through the spiral. The legs
can hood on to the end of the upper body spiral (inside the top of the
skirt).
Dog (4 pipe cleaners, pom pom, eyes & foam piece)
Make a loose spiral for the dog's body and glue to a 1 inch pom pom
for the head. make two pairs of animal legs and insert into the
spiral. Make an S-shape for the tail. Make two small zig
zigs for the ears. Glue ears and eyes on the pom pom.
Caterpillar
(2 pipe cleaners, pom pom & eyes)
Pick two pipe cleaners of different colors.
Wind one pipe cleaner around a pencil. Stop after about 4 loops. Insert the second pipe cleaner between the pencil and the spiral. Twist the two pipe cleaners together once.
Continue the spiral with the second pipe cleaner, wrapping it around the first pipe cleaner and the pencil. Stop after 4 loops and twist.
Alternate colors every four loops. Leave about 5 cm of pipe cleaner at the end to make antennae
Glue two eyes on a pom pom. Glue the pom pom onto the caterpillar for the head
S- shape
Make a loose spiral shape using two fat markers. Shape the pipe
cleaner by winding around the first maker, and then between and around
the second marker. Useful to make long curly hair or a dog's
tail.
Zig Zag
Fold 1/3 of a pipe cleaner in half. Then bend each half into a
small V shape to create the zig zag. Useful for making boy's
hair.
Bundle
Wind a pipe cleaner randomly around a marker to create a bundle.
May need more shaping once you take it off the marker.
People Legs
Fold one pipe cleaner in half for the legs. Use a marker to make a loop for each foot.
Skirt
Spiral a second pipe cleaner around open scissors to make a skirt for the girl.
Spiral
Wind the pipe cleaner around a marker or pencil being careful not to overlap it back on itself. The spiral could be tight or loose.
Useful for people or animal bodies.
Small Zig Zag Use 1/3 of a pipe cleaner and bend it into thirds. Makes a
dog's ear.
Animal Legs
Use on pipe cleaner for each pair of legs. Fold it in half, then use a pencil to make a spiral for each leg.
People Arms
Use 1/2 of a pipe cleaner for the arms. Make a loop with a marker for each hand. Bend the arm part way up to make an elbow. Use a small piece of matching pipe cleaner to make muscles for
a boy.
You may want to practice making bundles and spirals before making your first creations.
If younger children are having trouble shaping the people, adults can
make a selection of the spirals and bundles, and then let the kids put
the pieces together.
If your creations aren't standing up, glue pennies to their feet for
weight.
Materials
