Introduction: A Bird, a Mouse, And...a Sausage?

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About: During the COVID-19 crisis, all of the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship's religious services moved into an online-only format. I generally organize Sunday school activities for the children of the Fellowship …

In today's story, this unlikely trio learns together about respecting the work that each friend does. Can you imagine a bird, a mouse, and a sausage living together? Well, now you can do so by making your own silly trio out of paper and cardboard!

Supplies

-paper

-scissors

-circular plastic lids

-markers

-tape

-glue

-toilet paper tube

-brown paper bag

Step 1: Trace a Circle on Your Paper.

You'll want to use a lid that's on the larger side so that your resulting circles are easier to work with. The lid I used is probably 5ish inches in diameter.

Step 2: Cut Out Your Circle.

I traced and cut the circles for both my bird and my mouse at the same time!

Step 3: Cut a Slit in Your Circle.

Cut it just past the center of the circle.

Step 4: Make a Shallow Cone.

Pull one edge of the slit under the other so that your circle becomes a shallow, three-dimensional cone. Tape it on both sides. If you use a tape loop on the top edge, it will look neater!

Step 5: Make the Head.

Fold over a piece of your remaining paper, and draw half a heart on it. Cut it out. Here's your bird or mouse's head!

Step 6: Add Facial Features.

I drew and colored a beak on a white piece of paper, then cut them out and glued them on my bird's head. You could also just draw them right onto the head if you want!

Step 7: Make Wings and a Tail.

Draw wing and tail shapes and cut them out.

Step 8: Tape the Head and Other Features Onto the Body.

If you use tape loops, they won't show as much. Look at that cool bird!

Step 9: Follow the Same Steps for Your Mouse!

I bent the heart's top up for her ears, glued on eyes and a nose, and cut out a strip of scrap paper for her tail. Then I taped her head and her tail to her body.

Step 10: Trace Smaller Circles for Your Sausage.

I cut off a piece of a brown paper shopping bag from my recycling bin to trace my circles onto. You'll want much smaller circles for the sausage. I used a lid from a small jar. The circles should be just a little bit bigger than the diameter of the toilet paper tube.

Step 11: Make Paper Cones and Tape Them Onto the Ends of the Tube.

Cut slits in your paper circles and make them into shallow cones, just like you did for the bodies of your bird and your mouse. These cones will be much smaller, though. They're the rounded ends of your sausage! Tape them to both ends of your toilet paper tube.

Step 12: Decorate Your Sausage!

I glued on some silly-looking eyes and drew on a big grin. What does your sausage look like?

Step 13: Check Out Your Trio of Friends!

The fun thing about this activity is that you can use the same steps but cut out differently shaped animal features to make whatever kinds of animals you'd like! Can you make a cat? Or a dog? Or maybe even the crafty fox from the story?

Have fun!