Puppet play is always fun, and this one holds particular appeal since kids can easily grasp the straws to wiggle and manoeuver their reptile friend. Honestly, the craft felt a little simple and plain after some of the complicated things we’ve been up to lately, but it’s a cinch to make, and fun to play with, so a win-win!

To make the snake, cut a long rectangle from green paper – poster board or cardstock work better than a flimsier material like construction paper, which could tear easily. Adults, trim one end of the paper into a triangle as the snake’s tail, and make the other end rounded for its head.

Show your child how to make accordion pleats along the length of the paper. Travis had a bit of a hard time with this, but I gave him a separate piece of paper to practice on while I folded up our snake.

On the contrary though, Travis completely took over when it came to the face, deciding where the glue should go for two googly eyes and a piece of string cut for the tongue. Not bad!

Once the glue dries, attach your snake to two straws with masking tape, and slither him around.

Travis decided it looked more like a crocodile, since the straws almost look like legs. Crocodile or snake, have fun puppet playing!