EASY VERSION:
One-eyed, one horned flying purple people eater.

(his mouth opens and you can put things inside!)

WHAT TO DO WITH THIS CRAFT:

There are lots of uses for the craft:

• make a One-eyed, One-horned, Flying Purple People Eater game (see instructions for the game),
  They're thinking about making it a new olympic sport *grin*.

• use the craft to store small toys, small books or keep treasures safe (who'd dare try to steal your prized possessions from this nasty critter!)  Do not store food inside it.

• make a one-eyed, one-horned, flying purple PAPER eater and use it as a recycle bin!

• give it as a gift to a sibling or a grandparent (I'm sure they remember the song!)

There are two versions for this craft.  This, easy version provides a nice short-cut option for younger children or large groups.  The paper mache version is a bigger project and is appropriate for older children (and daddies *grin*)

MATERIALS:

• Tide (laundry detergent) box.  Doesn't really matter what size you use, as long as it's the standard type with the flip up lid.

• glue or tape

• egg carton cup

• construction paper or poster board (for the limbs... we used pink, but use what you have). 

  • OR you can take plain white paper or cardboard from old cereal boxes and paint it for the limbs if you don't have the construction paper or poster board... or if you want this craft to be 100% recycled materials.

• OPTIONAL:  feathers and markers

INSTRUCTIONS:

• Cut plastic handle off the box.  (adult help required)
   
• Cover the Tide box with construction paper (they don't really have purple in most packs, so you can use pink or the blue-y purple kind).  Or use white paper and color or paint it purple (it takes about 6 to 8 sheets to cover the box).
   
• Tape or glue the egg carton cup into the center of the head.   Color on a black pupil with a marker or glue on black pupils cut from construction paper.
   
• Cut wings, legs, arms and a horn out of construction paper or poster board/old cereal boxes.  I recommend that you don't make the horn too tall and that you do it out of cardboard (you can even use the cardboard backing from your pad of construction paper!)
   
• Let the kids choose the colors they want to make things
   
• OPTIONAL:  Glue feathers onto the wings.
   
• OPTIONAL:  Glue eyelashes onto the eyeball.  Take a strip of construction paper and fold a 1/2 inch tab.  Slit the strip every 1/4 inch or so all the way down to the tab.  Curl around a pencil and glue to the eye.
   
• Tape on some white construction paper teeth (you can make them pointy, but we made ours for a 2 yr old, so made it a Vegetarian!)

Printable Version of these instructions