Activity Overview
Our family loves making animal crafts and I am sure that yours will too. Using clothespins for projects like this one make it all the more fun because the Clothespin Alligator is three dimensional and has a functioning mouth to open and close.
Materials Needed
- Spring loaded wooden clothespin
- Google eyes
- Green and red paint
- Paintbrush
- Tacky Glue
- Green Construction Paper
- Scissors
- Green Pipe Cleaner
How to Make It
- Paint the entire spring loaded clothespin a nice shade of green.
- Allow the clothespin to dry completely.
- While the clothespin is drying, cut a 1/2 inch wide strip of green construction paper and fold it back and forth accordion style and set aside. You will trim this to fit the length of the back portion of the clothespin when it is time to assemble.
- Cut your pipe cleaner into two segments and glue the center of each in place. One will be placed right behind the spring and the other further back on the inside where you would squeeze.
- Bend the 4 showing ends of pipe cleaner into V shapes to make the arms and legs.
- Glue the folded strip of construction paper from the spring to the back end of the clothespin. Trim the paper to fit if necessary. The paper should retain the accordion quality when glued and should not be flattened.
- Glue the googly eyes right in front of the construction paper, leaving enough room for the snout and mouth of the alligator.
- Using a thin paintbrush, paint a tin red strip for a tongue on the very front of the alligator's mouth right inside the groove.
- Squeeze the back of the clothespin to open and close the alligator's mouth.
