DLTK's Holiday Crafts for Kids
Paper Bag Alien Monster Puppet

This is a fun and easy cut and paste paper craft that uses a paper bag as a base to make a puppet suitable for Halloween or Outer Space themes.

You can make a turquoise monster or use different colors for a green, blue or any other colored version if you feel like getting creative.

a paper lunch bag (white or brown will work)
turquoise paint or turquoise paper (or color of your choice if you're making a different colored monster)
a printer,
some crayons,
scissors
glue,
paper for the printer

Paper Bag Alien Monster Puppet

I'm going to walk through this slowly. Look at your paper bag.
It should be closed and flat like a piece of paper. Just like when they are brand new.
On one side, it's all smooth. This will be the BACK of your puppet
- It's important that all the kids get the back and front straight at the beginning!
On the other side there's a flippy tab (which is typically the bottom of the bag when you're carrying your lunch around...)
- This flippy tab will be the HEAD
Lift the flippy tab up a bit. Underneath of the tab will be the mouth,
- When the child puts her hand in the bag, she'll be able to make the puppet talk.
Look at the rest of the front of the bag. (The 3/4 or so of the bag below the part with the flippy tab) This will be the BODY.
Look at the sides of the bag. There should be a FLAP of paper.
- We'll be slipping the arms (template 2) into this flap.
- If the kids goof and glue the arms onto the front or back of the bag, it isn't a big deal.
OK, now that we're comfy with our bags, let's craft!

Cover the BODY and BACK paper bag with turquoise paper (just glue it on and trim) or paint the paper bag turquoise and let dry.
Glue the mouth underneath the flippy tab so you can see a tiny part of it sticking out when the flap is closed.
Glue the teeth to the flippy tab so they stick out when the flap is closed.
Glue the ears behind the HEAD.
Glue the hair at the top of the HEAD.
Glue the eyes onto the HEAD just under the hair. If you like, you can use wiggly eyes instead of the paper template pieces. We made our little monster with three eyes.
Glue the oval nose under the eyes.
Glue the belt onto the BODY

Glue the arms into the FLAP. We used 4 but you can put on less if you like.
Glue the tail onto the back of the BODY
NOTE: The arms and the tail are on the second template. If you're worried the craft is too big a project for your child, you can skip this template altogether and just make an armless monster.

Set page margins to zero if you have trouble fitting the template on one page (FILE, PAGE SETUP or FILE, PRINTER SETUP in most browsers).