Last December, my girls were given a hedgehog. Since then, we’ve been a little hedgehog craft crazy here. The girls are absolutely in love with him, and they squeal with delight whenever they see a picture of a hedgehog anywhere. Double points if it is cuter than a normal hedgehog. They are girls, what can I say.
You may not know it, but most hedgehogs are warm-weather creatures. We see them on Christmas wrapping paper, but they really ought to be included among summer animals. Our hedgie doesn’t get out of bed unless it is close to 80 degrees.
So for this hedgehog craft, we decided to bring our hedgehog into the summer by making these hedgehog craft fans. Now, my girls can use these fans to keep themselves cool on hot summer days.
DIY Hedgehog Craft Fan
Use this tutorial to learn how to make your own hedgehog craft fan!
Supplies
- 12×12 brown cardstock paper
- Hot glue gun and glue sticks
- Popsicle sticks
- Pencil
- Black pony bead
- White paper
- Markers
- Paper cutter (or scissors, but the paper cutter is easier)
- Clear tape
- Yarn or ribbon
Step 1
Cut a piece of cardstock paper into four pieces. Cut each small square into a rectangle. You will need 4 rectangles per fan.
Step 2
Use the popsicle stick to measure how wide to make your accordion folds. Mark where each fold should go with a pencil. Fold the paper accordion style along each line. Repeat for the other three rectangles.
Step 3
While the accordion is folded, snip off half of one side to create an angled point. This will become the hedgehog’s spikes. Overlap the ends of each accordion and glue with hot glue to make one long accordion.
Step 4
Hold the accordion closed as tightly as possible. Wrap a piece of tape around the bottom to keep the fan closed. Hot glue a strip of brown paper around the tape to hide it.
Step 5
Pull the ends of the fan down to make a circle of paper around the taped end. The paper will resist at first, but it will open completely. Once you have opened the fan all the way, hot glue one popsicle stick to each end of the fan so you can hold the fan open by placing the popsicle sticks together.
Step 6
Cut a short piece of ribbon or yarn to wrap around the popsicle sticks to keep the fan open or closed.
Step 7
Draw a hedgehog face onto a small piece of paper. Hot glue the paper to the center of the taped part of the fan. Hot glue another circle of paper to the back of the fan (we drew a tail on the back of our fan). Glue a pony bead to the bottom of the face to make the hedgehog’s nose.
The girls were delighted with their hedgehog craft fans and placed them in their room in a place of honor.
More Summer Craft Ideas for Kids
