Dads love receiving homemade gifts, and this adorable alien will be sure to tickle them. While the instructions may seem lengthy, it’s important to understand that the craft itself is quite easy. This would make a great classroom project, or would be perfect for an afternoon of crafting fun with your kids. This craft is recommended for ages 7 and up.
Father’s Day Alien-You can let Dad know that he really is out of this world!
What you’ll need:
- 1″ wooden cube
- 1.5″ wooden cube
- Neon green and orange paint
- Scrap of blue felt
- Medium white pom-pom
- Miniature black pom-pom
- White craft glue
- White paint pen
- Black, blue and purple fine point markers
- Modeling clay
- 3″ piece of orange skinny chenille stem
- 2 yellow chenille stems
- Small piece of white cardboard or construction paper
- Toothpick
- Tape
- Paintbrush
- Scissors
Directions for the project:
- Paint the two wooden blocks with neon green paint and let dry.
- Glue the smaller block (head) on top of the larger block (body).
- Cut a simple tie shape from a piece of blue felt. Glue the tie to the front of the blocks. Glue the white pom-pom to the front of the head, leaving room below it for the mouth.
- Glue the miniature black pom-pom to the center of the white pom-pom.
- Use a white paint pen to dot on two teeth, about ½” apart. Use the black marker to draw a straight line directly above the “teeth” for the mouth. Cut the 3″ piece of orange skinny chenille in half and set aside.
- Cut the yellow chenille stems into 4 pieces each for a total of 8 pieces. Set aside. Roll up small pieces of modeling clay, about the size of a plastic pony bead. Gently press two pieces to the top of the head, but do not flatten them. You just want to stick them to the wood. Use your fingers to round them up again if they are too flat.
- Insert the orange chenille, one into each piece, for the antennae. Repeat the process in step 7 for the arms and legs. Place the modeling clay on each side of the body, in the center, for the arms.
- Place a piece of clay on the side of the body, toward the lower front corner, both sides. Bend the chenille into arms and insert four into the sides of the body, two on each side. Insert the legs into the clay, two on each side.
- Place alien robot on the edge of the table and bend legs in place. Keep in mind that the modeling clay will need to dry overnight in order to adhere to the wood.
- Move alien robot to a safe place. Don’t worry if the clay falls off when you move it, just replace it and allow it to dry. The clay will dry and stick to the wood surface but will also remain pliable.
- The next day, you can add spots to your alien robot’s body by dipping the handle end of a paintbrush into orange paint and dotting on to the wooden cubes. Let dry.
- Make the sign by writing “You’re out of This World!” on a piece of paper or white cardboard, then trim it with scissors. Cut the sharp points of the toothpick off with scissors and tape the toothpick to the back of the sign. Remove the arm that will hold the sign (the chenille should still be removable), and wrap the “hand” around the toothpick. Secure it with a little white craft glue. Remove each arm and leg carefully, add a dot of white craft glue and replace. Let dry.
