Cardboard Tube Penguin with Woolly Hat

Are you looking for a fun craft to make with your children for Book Week? These cardboard tube penguins, were inspired by one of this year’s CBCA, shortlisted Picture Books, “Frank’s Red Hat,” written and illustrated by Sean Avery.

“Frank is a penguin with ideas. Mostly terrible ones. That’s why his fellow penguins are nervous when he shows them his strange new creation. Something they’d never seen or expected to see in their cold and colourless Antarctic world — a red hat.”

I just love this book and can’t wait to share it with my students. “Frank’s Red Hat” is a story about never giving up on your passions, as quirky as they may seem to others, and following your dreams. The illustrations in monochrome with pops of colour, draw readers into Frank’s world and his desire for change. It is such a fun story which will delight readers of all ages.

To make your cardboard tube penguin, you will need the following craft supplies:

Supplies

• Cardboard tube/toilet paper roll
• Colour paper
• Wool
• Cardboard
• Gluestick
• Sticky tape
• Scissors
• Grey lead pencil
• Colour pencils/markers
• Template

Step 1

To make your cardboard tub penguin, download and print the template on white paper.

Step 2

Cut out the template, and trace around the pieces on colour paper. Cut out the pieces.

Your pieces should look similar to the ones below.

Step 3

Glue the back of the rectangle piece of colour paper and wrap around your cardboard tube. This will be the body of your penguin. I used a toilet paper roll for my body, you may need to trim or resize the rectangle to fit your tube.

Step 4

Add the tummy patch to the bottom of your penguin’s body.

Step 5

Attach your beak to your body. To create the beak shape, make 2 folds in the centre of the diamond shaped piece of paper. There should be a small rectangle in the centre of the beak, and a triangle top and bottom of the beak. Your beak should look to similar to the one below.

Glue along the back of the beak and attach to the body 1 cm above the tummy patch.

Step 6

Make your penguin some eyes. To make the eyes, layer the black circles on top of the white circles and glue to the body on either side of the beak.

Step 7

Add your wings. Glue the top section of both wings and attach to the sides of your penguin. I attached mine on a slight angle and gently bent the wings outwards, for a 3D effect.

Step 8

Add your flippers. Glue your flippers to the bottom of your penguin, layering them over the tummy patch.

Your penguin is finished! All he needs now is a warm woolly hat.

Feeling arty? Why not colour in your template with colour pencils or markers.

Woolly Hat

Step 1

Cut a strip of cardboard 1 cm x 18 cm. You may need to adjust the size to suit your cardboard tube.

Step 2

Make a circle with your strip of cardboard. Glue and/or tape your ends together to create a circle. The cardboard circle should be a little bigger than your penguin’s head.

Step 3

Cut some pieces of wool by wrapping wool around a piece of cardboard. I wrapped my wool around the cardboard 60 times. Cut the wool along one edge of the cardboard. My cardboard was 11 cm wide making my pieces of wool 22 cm long.

Step 4

Fold one of your pieces of wool in half. Thread through the inside of your cardboard circle creating a loop.

Step 5

Pass the loose ends of your wool across the front of the circle and through the loop. Pull tight.

Repeat until you have covered the whole circle. After making each loop push them close together, so there are no gaps. Your circle should look similar to the one below.

Step 6

Push all the strands of wool through the inside of your circle and pull them out the other side. This will create the band of your hat.

Step 7

Cut another piece of wool and wrap it around the loose stands of your hat. Tie a knot and pull tightly. Tie another knot to secure in place.

Step 8

Trim the wool on top of your hat into a pom pom shape. Your hat is finished! Time to try it on your penguin!

Doesn’t your penguin look so cute in his warm beanie! I hope you have lots of fun making your penguin and hat. Maybe you could read “Frank’s Red Hat” together. The hats would also make a fun Christmas decoration or garland.

Looking for some Book Week display inspiration? Take a look at the tree I made, using cardboard boxes and papier mache, for this year’s theme “Read, Grow, Inspire.”

Looking for another fun Book Week craft activity? Why not try one of these fun crafts: Paper Cup Frog Craft inspired by “Snap!” by Anna Walker or these cute Puppy Dog Ears. I originally created these ears for “When Billy Was a Dog,” but they would also be a great craft to go with this year’s shortlisted book, “Lionel and Me” by Corinne Fenton.