Earth Day: Bottle Bug Puppet

Get ready to make an eco friendly puppet just in time for Earth Day!

large clear plastic bottle
small clear plastic bottle
2 small black pom-poms
2 white pom-poms
paint brush
yellow paint
pink paint
dark blue paint
scissors
glue
pink pipe cleaner
black marker
2 metal brads
brown glove

REMEMBER THAT IT'S IMPORTANT TO ALWAYS WORK UNDER ADULT SUPERVISION. SOMETIMES WE USE OBJECTS THAT COULD BE HARMFUL, LIKE SCISSORS, SO DON'T EVER ATTEMPT TO MAKE THESE PUPPETS ALONE.

1. Empty a large, clear bottle and cut 2 holes – one in the bottom and one in the side in the middle. To cut the hole in the side, start by poking your scissors through and cutting a slit first. Cut out the entire bottom. The side hole should be the same size. Round off the sharp edges of the bottom hole and place your hand inside.
2. Take a black marker and design what you want on your bug. Spots, squiggles or accentuating the patterns already on the bottle are good ideas.
3. Use your scissors to cut a mouth into the bottle. This should be in the center of the upper half of the bottle. Don’t cut the hole all the way around. You want to create a flap that hinges down so you can open and close the mouth with your fingers.
4. Use your paintbrush to paint the pattern of your bug (not the base coat) from the inside of the bottle. Use pink and yellow for the patterns and the mouth.
5. Let the paint dry for about 20 minutes.
6. Once that’s all dry, paint the base coat dark blue from the inside as well.
7. Use a small, clear plastic bottle to cut out oval-shaped wings for your bug. You can draw them on first. Once you’ve cut out your first wing, you can use it as a template for your second.
8. Paint your wings, on the inside part of the plastic. Use any color that you want. Let them dry for about 30 minutes.
9. Use your scissors to poke a hole in the very top of your wings. Then make holes in the sides of the body, where you want the wings to go. Stick a metal brad into the wing and attach it to your bottle. Do the same with the other wing.
10. Glue the white pom-poms onto the front of the face, above the mouth. These will be the bug’s eyes. Glue the black pom-poms to the white ones for pupils.
11. Wrap your pipe cleaner around the top of the bottle, give it a twist in the back, and arrange it to create antennae.
12. Put your hand inside your glove to create its legs. Put your gloved hand inside the bottle to animate it. You can use your index finger to move the mouth.