Toliet Paper Tube People: Putting on a Show

We're having tons of imaginative fun with crafts as the summer winds down, and we have a few rainy days. I'm finding ways to address Ty and Za's different ages and abilities, while working on their fine motor skills while letting their creativity come out. 

"People" - complete with a bridge to cross.

I have saved toilet paper tubes (and one paper towel tube, because we don't use many of those) for a month or so. The other day I got the tubes and art supplies out to see what we could make.

The kids and I started wrapping yarn and ribbons around the tubes, adding glue when necessary.

Preschoolers seem to think that more glue = more fun.

As our people began to take shape, we made up stories about them. For instance, our first person had a bridge, and since he didn't have legs, he didn't know how to cross it. He kept falling in the water.

We added legs so he could cross the fiery bridge.

As we worked, we found more unused things from around the house to use, like small hair clips. After I took pictures, the kids had fun giving them "haircuts."

Finished people.

The best part? Aside from creativity, Za and I had a sweet exchange. I was making the yellow person above, and she was making the one all the way to the left - the one with mismatched eyes. I asked her if her person was wearing different clothes and she told me, no - she's naked. It's just that all people are different colors and hers is striped. Warmed my heart.

This was an inexpensive project, used with stuff we had around the house or had collected from clearance bins.

Supplies

Paper towel or toliet paper tube rolls
Yarn
Ribbon
Eyes - buttons, packaged eyes
Pipe cleaners
Glue

Reflection

What would I do differently? Nothing, except that maybe the next time we do this, I would perhaps read a story first and then make the characters. That would help us retell the story, which is wonderful for reading comprehension. We could also have them dance to music!

We Addressed the 8 Intelligences:

Bodily- kinesthetic, spatial.