Have fun with this Rat Mouse Decoration tutorial for your Chinese New Year event. They are fun to create and make cute photo props for your Year of the Rat celebration.
Supplies
- grey paper, thinner paper is easier to fold (I used 10 inch square origami paper)
- red construction paper
- disposable chopstick, Popsicle stick, or craft stick
- glue
- scissors
- googly eyes (optional)
Instructions
- Cut your grey paper into 4 equal size strips. Accordion fold each strip. (The larger piece in the photo below still needs to be cut in half)
2) Glue the folded strips together to form 1 long strip.
3) Glue the ends together to form a donut shape.
4) Using some scraps of red paper, cut out a small square and a heart. The heart will the the rat’s nose. The square will reinforce the back of the face and give the stick something to glue on to.
5) Push in the edges of the donut until the hole in the center closes. Glue the heart over the center. Let dry a bit so the glue holds, then turn it over and glue the square piece over the hole in the back.
6) While that dries, cut out the rat’s ears. I used a glass to draw circles on the red construction paper then cut them out for the ears. Make your ears bigger or smaller based on what you like best.
7) Glue the ears under the rat’s head and wait a few minutes for the glue to dry.
8) Turn the head over and glue your stick to the back.
Craft activities like this one are great for little hands to strengthen their hands and sharpen fine motor skills. Their creations don’t need to be perfect. It’s more about the time spent together.
My son showing off his rat mouse decoration. He insisted that rats have smaller ears, triangle eyes, and little feet!
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SO cute! Love your CNY crafts, they are so unique! 😍