Making a scarecrow

Do you have a delicious looking veggie patch in your garden? Why not make a scarecrow to keep those pesky birds away so you can enjoy the fruits of your hard labour! With a little help from mum or dad kids will have loads of fun with this great craft activity.

What you need:

• 2 pairs of old pantyhose
• grass or straw for stuffing
• thick thread
• large needle
• some pieces of felt for the face
• craft glue
• old unwanted clothes
• old hat

Number of players:
1+

Activity:

Take one pair of pantyhose and tie the tops of the legs together under the body part. Stuff the body part with dry grass clippings or straw to make the head and tie it off at the top. Shred the left over part to make hair.

Cut the toes off the legs of the pantyhose, stuff a small amount of straw into each leg and push right to the top. Tie the legs together again under the stuffing to make a neck.

Stuff each of the legs of the pantyhose to form the arms. Tie a knot when you get to the elbow, one at the wrist and another to finish off the hand.

Tie the top of the legs of the other pair of pantyhose in the same way as you did before. Stuff the body part until it is very full.

Using the needle and thread, sew the top of the second pair of pantyhose to the top of the “arms” and “neck” of the first pair. Your scarecrow now has a body.

Fill the legs with straw, tying a knot at the knees, ankles and toes.

Cut eyes, eyebrows, nose, mouth and ears from the felt. (Make them nice and BIG!) Stick them on to the face with craft glue. You might like to add some details with a marker, but make sure it is a waterproof one.

Now dress your scarecrow. A light loose scarf or corks on strings around a hat will give movement and make the scarecrow seem more alive. If you have made a child scarecrow you might like to give him/her a balloon on a string. (You can make a very strong balloon by pushing one balloon inside another then blowing them both up together (not too big) with a balloon pump.)

You can sit your scarecrow on a chair, rest it against a wall or tie it to a stake in the ground. (Put the clothes on over the stake to hide it.)

Last but not least, you’ll have to give your scarecrow a name!

Thank you to Global Garden for this great project idea!