The best way to learn about something is to try to make it. Like the seven blind men, you have to take the whole animal into consideration, making the big flat ears, the long trunk, the tree trunk like legs and the massive body. Here’s my friend Lando making an elephant with all the rights bits in the right places. He is just colouring in the eyes.
What you need:
Newspaper
Tape
2 boxes one smaller box like a soap box and a larger one like a medium sized tea box
Toilet rolls
Cardboard – from an old cereal box
A pen
What to do:
1. Take your box as the inside of the body and the soap box for the head. If the soap box opens on the side it works great as a mouth. Otherwise you can cut it open there for the mouth.
2. Tape the boxes together so that the head is just at the top front of the body.
3. You can cut the toilet rolls in half and then tape them to the bottom of the box so that the four legs support the body.
4. Now it is a little thin for an elephant so get the newspaper out and wad up a sheet. Don’t wad it up too tightly because an elephant is pretty thick. You can use two sheets together if works better for you. You may want to experiment with a few to get it right.
5. Use your tape to stick the newspaper onto the body. Make sure that the width is nice and round as well. Use more paper if you need. You can always push in and tape up sections that don’t look right.
6. Be prepared to use a lot of tape.
7. Now get a smaller bit of newspaper and make the head. This takes a bit of crafting but you will get it.
8. Now cut the spare cardboard into big flat ears for your elephant.
9. Tape them onto the head in the right place.
10. If you are working with younger children, take the opportunity to ask where to put them. “Do these bits go on the leg?”
11. Try to put on three ears and ask if it is correct. You can give them a picture of a real elephant to look at while making this.
12. Now the trunk:
13. Roll up a piece of newspaper to the thickness you like and cut it to the right length for your elephant.
14. Tape it on to the front of the head.
15. Dot the eyes and you have your elephant.
