DLTK's Crafts for Kids
Heart Hippo Paper Craft

The heart hippo paper craft is a great Valentine's Day activity for reinforcing a lesson about the letter H!

Read a bit about DLTK's Grow With Me Craft Concept to get some ideas on how this basic craft idea can be used with different materials to make it appropriate for everyone from ages 2 thru 82!

Tip 1:  Include the message "Please don't trample my heart.  Let's be friends!"

Tip 2:  Glue the heart animal paper craft to the front of a folded over piece of construction paper or a doily to make a cute Valentine's Day card.

Tip 3:  Purchase fancy paper from the scrapbooking store and print the B&W version onto this for an extra fancy Heart Animal.

Tip 4:  Scotch tape a straw or popsicle stick to the bottom to make a hippopotamus puppet.

Tip 5:  Glue a small piece of sandpaper on the back to make a felt board character.

Tip 6:  Cut construction paper into 4 inch wide strips as long as you can make them.  Tape two together to make even longer.  Measure around child's head to make a construction paper 'crown'.  Glue Heart Animal to front of the crown to make a Valentine's Day hat.

Materials:

• paper,
• glue,
• scissors.

Instructions:

• Print out the Valentine's Day template of choice.
• Color (if making the black and white craft).
• Cut out the template pieces.  (The pieces on the template are at about the angle they will be on the finished craft. That should help you sort out which pieces belong where).
• Glue pieces together:

Glue the body pieces together (smaller one under the larger).

Glue the tail onto the back of the body.

Glue the nostrils onto the head.

Glue the ears onto the head.

Glue the ear middles onto the ears.

Glue the head onto the body.

Option for mass-producing - young children:  Print out the B&W template.  Trace the pieces onto stiff cardboard (back of paper pads works well) or margarine/ice cream container lids.  Cut out to make permanent templates.   Allow the children to trace these permanent templates onto different colors of construction paper to make their animal

Option for mass-producing - older children:  Omit the templates.  Let the children cut out heart shapes in various sizes from colored construction paper (show them how to fold paper in half and then cut to make a perfectly symmetrical heart).  Let the children create their own animals by putting together hearts of different sizes (you can pre-make a few example animals to give them some inspiration).

Craft Templates:

• Close template window when done printing to return to this screen.
• 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).

Heart Hippo template    (color)   or    (B&W)

Printable version of these instructions