Make an igloo home for a peanut penguin...

The finished igloo ornament hangs on fir branches.
Older children will enjoy the challenge of this project.
I will include a 3-D igloo project on our blog later.
Go here to download a penguin pattern for your 
classroom crafts at Thrifty Scissors.

   Here is my first penguin project for our giant Christmas ornament craft collection. Several of our readers have requested him this year...

Supply List:

• narrow wooden craft sticks
• clamps for craft process
• white school glue
• hot glue gun and hot glue
• one peanut with shell
• tiny bit of craft foam sheet (for feet)
• acrylic paints: black, white, blue and grey
• one toothpick (for beak)
• two tiny google eyes
• Mod Podge
• twine for hanging
• heavy cardboard
• Igloo template (below)

Step-by-Step Instructions:

1. Cut out the igloo template and place it on top of a heavy piece of cardboard to trace around.
2. Cut out the igloo from the cardboard.
3. Use clamps and white school glue for the next steps. Measure and cut each craft stick as you line them up for gluing directly onto the cardboard igloo cut-out. (see photos below) Clamp these down as they dry to prevent the cardboard from warping.
4. Keep going until the outer part of the igloo design is finished. The inner part of the igloo which represents the front opening to the ice block home, is crafted with cardboard cut-outs. These are cut one by one and stacked several pieces thick. The 'door' opening is left without dimension and painted black.
5. After the igloo has been constructed, hot glue your penguin, which is a peanut, in front of the door.
6. Next glue on his eyes, and then cut a small slice from a toothpick for his beak and glue it on. Attach a pair of feet cut from a small piece of craft foam in the shape of a heart.
7. Using a pencil, draw the ice bricks onto the igloo and paint these in shades of grey, ivory, blue and white. I used a dry brush technique for mine.
8. Paint also the penguin using black for his backside and white for his front. 

Left, you can see how I lined up the wooden craft sticks and cut these to fit in a row.
Right, here you can see how I clamped these down during drying time.
This helps prevent warping.

Left, the peanut in it's shell is hot glued in place and the ice bricks are drawn directly on the
wooden craft sticks. Right, everything has been painted.

Templates for several Christmas ornament crafts coming soon.
Above are the patterns for the igloo, thus far.