The First Dragon
Ar ts & Craft ideas
Dragon Puppet for Asian New Year
Materials needed:
-
1 red plastic cup, 16 oz.
Three 1 inch pom-poms, any color
Two 1/4 inch plastic jiggly eyes
2 silver disk sequins
Yellow felt
Red felt
1 pipe cleaner, any color
2 feet x 5 inch strip colorful wrapping paper
2 small gold color bells
PVA glue
Puppet Pattern
Instructions:
- Glue 2 same color pom-poms to the cup at the end near the bottom, on the side of the
cup. Put eyes close together. Add 2 plastic jiggly eyes to the pom-poms.
- Put another pom-pom at the other end of the cup parallel to the eyes near the opening of
the cup. Glue two silver disk sequins on the nose for nostrils.
- Cut, then glue two yellow triangles on both sides of the nose. The horns should hang off
the end of the cup.
- Punch two holes in the bottom of the cup. Thread one pipe cleaner threw the holes so
they stick out behind the eyes. Add one bell to each pipe cleaner end. Bend the pipe cleaner
end down to hold the bell on tight. Take a pencil and twist the pipe cleaner around it to
make these horns curly or crazy.
- Cut, then glue the red felt tongue to the inside of the cup. The tongue should be hanging
way out of the mouth.
- Cut then glue two red felt triangles for the ears. Place them on top of the pipe cleaners
(push the pipe cleaners up against the cups bottom.) The ears should stick out to the side
under the eyes.
- Measure and cut the tail out of colorful wrapping paper. Fold the tail in half the long way so
the colorful wrapping paper shows on both sides. Lightly glue the two sides together. Fold
the tail accordion style about every 3 inches. Glue one end to the bottom of the cup over
the felt ears.
Important Hint! Tacky glue is a must. Regular school glue will not work!
When your dragon dries, hold his head under his chin, when you walk his tail will fly like a
kite!
Dancing Chinese Dragon
Materials needed:
- Colored paper
- Scissors
- Crayons or markers
- Glue, tape
- 2 wooden barbeque skewers (or 2 straws or disposable chopsticks)
- Optional glitter, feathers
- Draw the head and tail of a lion or dragon on a piece of paper.
- Cut the head and tail out and decorate with bright colors.
Optional: Decorate with glitter and feathers.
=
- Fold a piece of paper in half the long way. Cut along the fold line, making two long
rectangles.
- Fold each piece of paper up like an accordion. Glue or tape the two pieces together,
forming one long piece that will be the animal's body.
- Glue or tape one end of the body to the head. Glue or tape the other end of the body to
the tail.
- Tape one skewer (or straw) to the head and the other skewer (or straw) onto the tail.
You now have a dragon or lion that can dance for Chinese New Year.
Pipe cleaner Dragons
Materials needed:
-
8 coloured pipe cleaner
googly eyes or markers
pencil
thick marker
glue
Instructions:
1. Connect three green pipe cleaners end to end.
2. Bundle them around a thick marker for the body.
3. Connect two green pipe cleaners end to end.
4. Bundle half around a pencil for the head, then coil some for the neck. Leave a 1-inch
attaching stem.
5. Attach the head and neck by inserting the stem into the body (use glue, if desired, for
extra holding power).
6. For the tail, coil one green pipe cleaner around a pencil, leaving a 1-inch attaching stem.
7. Insert the attaching stem into the bundle of the body.
8. Make legs by bending two green pipe cleaners into V's, then coiling each end around a
pencil.
9. Insert the legs into the body, between the coils (and glue, if desired). Glue on googly eyes
or draw a face with markers.
- Connect three pipe cleaners end to end.
- Bundle them around a thick marker for the body.
- Connect two pipe cleaners end to end.
- Bundle half a cleaner around a pencil for the head,
then coil some for the neck. Leave a 1-inch attaching
stem.
- Attach the head and neck by inserting the stem into
the body. Use can use glue for extra holding power.
- For the tail, coil one cleaner around a pencil, leaving
a 1-inch attaching stem.
- Insert the attaching stem into the bundle of the
body.
- Make legs by bending two cleaners into V’s, then
coiling each end around a pencil.
- Insert the legs into the body, between the coils and
glue if needed. Glue on googly eyes or draw face
with markers.
Other pipe cleaner figures
Boy (5 pipe cleaners & sequins)
The boy's head is made from a tight bundle with zig zag hair. Insert long point of the zig zag
into head bundle. Make a loose spiral for the body. Make people arms and people legs. Fit
them into the spiral.
Girl (6 pipe cleaners & sequins)
Make a bundle for her head leaving it open at the top. Use 1/4 of a pipe cleaner to make a
loose S-shape for each of her curls. Hook them onto the top of the head bundle. Use 1/4 of
pipe cleaner to make a very small bundle to cover the top of her head.
Make a spiral for her upper body, and skirt for her lower body. Insert arms and legs
through the spiral. The legs can hood on to the end of the upper body spiral (inside the top
of the skirt).
Dog (4 pipe cleaners, pom pom, eyes & foam piece)
Make a loose spiral for the dog's body and glue to a 1 inch pom pom for the head. Make
two pairs of animal legs and insert into the spiral. Make an S-shape for the tail. Make two
small zig zigs for the ears. Glue ears and eyes on the pom pom.
Useful shapes
S- shape
Make a loose spiral shape using two fat markers. Shape the pipe
cleaner by winding around the first maker, and then between
and around the second marker. Useful to make long
curly hair or a dog's tail.
Zig Zag
Fold 1/3 of a pipe cleaner in half. Then bend each half into a small V
shape to create the zig zag. Useful for making boy's hair.
Bundle
Wind a pipe cleaner randomly around a marker to create bundle. May
need more shaping once you take it off the marker.
People Legs
Fold one pipe cleaner in half for the legs. Use a marker to make a
loop for each foot.
Skirt
Spiral a second pipe cleaner around open scissors to make a skirt for
the girl.
Spiral
Wind the pipe cleaner around a marker or pencil being careful not to
overlap it back on itself. The spiral could be tight or loose. Useful for
people or animal bodies.
Small Zig Zag
Use 1/3 of a pipe cleaner and bend it into thirds. Makes a dog's ear.
Animal Legs
Use one pipe cleaner, fold it in half, then use a pencil to make a spiral for
each leg.
People Arms
Use 1/2 of a pipe cleaner for the arms. Make a loop with a marker for
each hand. Bend the arm part way up to make an elbow. Use a small piece
of matching pipe cleaner to make muscles for a boy
Most pipe cleaner creations can be put together without glue, but they may come apart if
you want to move them or play with them. When you decide a creation is finished, then glue
them together.
If your creations aren't standing up, glue pennies to their feet for weight.
.
Dragon finger puppet
Materials needed:
-
knitted glove finger
buttons
felt
coloured cardboard
orange paper
tissue paper
stapler
glue
scissors
Instructions:
- Cut the finger off a knit glove.
- Glue on 2 small buttons for eyes.
- Cut a set of spiky scales (small triangles) from a piece of felt and glue them on.
- For the mouth, cut a piece of green cardboard so that it looks like the base of two bowling
pins connected together.
- Line the mouth with orange paper and tissue paper flames stapled inside.
- Then fold it in half where the base meets the other base and glue it on.
Dragon Hat
Materials needed:
- One large balloon for each hat
- A lot of old newspaper and/or brown-bag paper
- Paper mache paste
- Scissors
- Hole punch (or just use the tip of a scissors to make holes)
- Assorted paper, cardboard scraps, styrofoam scraps, egg cartons
- Paint
- String or elastic for chin straps
Instructions:
- Choose the type of dragon hat you want to make: colour, scales, horn, flames etc
- Have the students tear a lot of strips of newspaper and/or brown bag paper. Strips
should be about 1 inch wide; the length doesn't really matter.
- Blow up a balloon for each child. Each hat is molded over a large balloon.
- Dip each strips of paper in the flour glue and put on the balloon. Put the balloon sideways
because most dragons have long heads.
Apply the papier-mâché strips to cover about half of each balloon. About 3 layers of paper
are necessary for a hat thick enough to decorate later. You can do all the layers at one
time, or wait between layers. Let dry for a few days.
- Pop the balloon when the hat's dry and remove. Trim the hat, depending on the shape of
your dragon’s head. Using glue or staples, add horns, frills, crests, beaks, teeth, and more,
made of paper, cardboard, styrofoam, egg cartons, etc. Let dry.
- When the hats are dry, punch holes for chin straps and paint the eyes, nostrils, beaks,
horns, flames, skin color, etc. Let paint dry.
.
- Add string or elastic to use as a chin strap. As a costume addition, the students could
drape themselves in paper that matches their mask or wear matching clothing.
Pet Dragon
This can be scaled up or down
Materials needed:
-
cardboard box card
newspaper
sticky tape
paint
PVA glue
Paintbrush
- Make a base out of cardboard box card.
- Scrunch some newspaper into a rugby ball shape and tape it onto the base.
- This forms the body of your dragon - you can create whatever shapes you like from here!
- To make the neck, cut out some card in a banana shape.
- Pad it out on both sides with newspaper, secured in place with sticky tape. Lie it on one
end of your dragon's body.
- For the tail, scrunch up some more newspaper into a tube shape and make it pointy at one
end.
Use lots of tape here too.
- For back legs, create some chicken drumstick shapes with plenty of tape on top.
- Roll up four tiny paper sausages and tape them together for back claws.
- As you're making these body parts, lay them out around your body base - roughly in the
position that they'll go.
- For the front legs and feet roll two more sausages of newspaper and carefully snip into the
end to create four claws that splay out.
- Lay them out in place.
- For the head, close a double sheet of newspaper.
Loosely roll it up. Fold it in half and scrunch the ends up. Tape it at this end.
- Fold it in half again, and pop your finger through to create a loop, so that you have a mouth
and nostrils!
- Put together the whole body and tape it to the board with lots of strong tape.
- Now you've created your dragon shape you're ready to jazz it up with as much extra detail
as you like using card and newspaper.
- Here you can see cardboard ears and newspaper eyes have been added...
...jagged teeth and a forked tongue...
- Some scales and wings with veins made from string...
- And even a pointy tail!
Put plenty of tape all over the dragon to make it strong.
- When you're happy with the final look, use PVA glue mixed with a bit of black paint and
slap it all over the dragon to strengthen it even more.
- When it's dry you're ready to paint on the detail!
- Start with a thick, dry paintbrush.
Dip it into some other colours, and dust them on over the black.
- You could use shimmering bronze to give the wings a shiny finish.
- Paint on all the details and don’t forget the base.
- And when dry you have your own pet dragon!