Walnut Shell Animals

What You Need:

• Empty walnut shell halves
• Colored construction paper
• Scissors
• Hot glue gun
• Tempera paints (white, black, green, and red)
• Black pipe cleaner
• Six googly eyes

What You Do:

1. Have your child decide if he wants to make a mouse, a turtle, a ladybug, or all three!
2. Let him paint the walnut shell green for a turtle, or red for a ladybug. On the red ladybug, paint a small front area black for the ladybug’s “face.” To make a mouse, mix white and black paint to create grey, and have your child paint the walnut shell grey.
3. After the paint dries, your child can cut out shapes using colored construction paper to go with his animal: to make a turtle, have him cut out a green oval head, four green oval legs, and a triangle tail. For a mouse,  he can cut two ears in pink construction paper and glue them to the sides of the shell. For a ladybug, let your child paint black polka dots on the back of the shell, then paint a black line down the middle of the shell behind the ladybug’s “face.”
4. Help him glue 2 googly eyes near the front of the shell or on the animal's "head".
5. Let your child enjoy his new animals. They’re fun to play with or display!