Happy Bunny, Sad Bunny, Totally Rad Bunny! - Toddler Art Project

Happy Bunny, Sad Bunny, Totally Rad Bunny!

Age: 18 Months - 5 Years (younger ones need more supervision)

Time: 15 min (+ Prep)

Theme: Rabbits, Expressing Emotions

Books: Not a Box by Antoinette Portis, Let’s Make Rabbits by Leo Lionni, What’s Your Sound Hound the Hound by Mo Willems

Materials:

Small (desert) paper plates
Craft sticks
Round Head Fasteners (they look like little nails but the bottom is two tongs that are bent flat)
Crayons
Adults get to use Scissors, Exacto Knife & Hole Punch

Prep: Cut in and around the center circle of the plate, leaving about 1” of the original circumference as a neck. Trim a slight concave arch on one side to create a nose. Using the edge of the plate that was removed, cut out 2 ears, each about 1/3 of the length of the remaining plate. Punch holes near the bottom of each ear and at the top of the head. Make 3 horizontal incisions in the ‘neck’ just long enough for the craft stick to weave through.

Activity: Each child gets a bunny head, 2 ears, and a round head fastener. With a little help (as needed) put an ear, the head and then the other ear onto the fastener. Color the bunny, giving one side a happy face and the other side a sad face. When done coloring, trade the crayons for a craft stick and carefully weave it into the slots, giving the rabbit handle like a puppet. Experiment with your bunny. How does she hold his ears when she is happy? How about when she is sad? Can you make her look surprised by changing the position of his ears? What about shy?

Notes/Tips: In preparation for this project, talk about how emotions are shown with the whole body. Act some out. Point out what emotions the characters in the books are feeling. How you can tell? For a big kid version challenge them to make a whole rabbit - with jointed limbs. Leo Lionni’s illustrations are a great visual guide!

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