“In like a lion, out like a lamb…”  That’s what they say about March, which is why this craft is perfect for the start of March. 

(Let’s just hope March really goes out like a lamb this year, because it sure is coming in like a lion here!)

For each lion you will need one toilet paper tube, one brown (orange would also be cute) paper circle 3.5 inches in diameter, one yellow paper circle 2.5 inches in diameter, 2 paper arms, 2 paper legs, 4 whiskers, and a piece of yarn (about 3 inches) for a tail.  (Don’t like the idea of using toilet paper tubes?  Just cut a paper towel roll to the correct length.)

In the above picture you may notice that I traced the 2.5 inch circle on the inside of the 3.5 inch brown one.   This was a visual to help my preschoolers know how far in to snip the fringe for the lion’s mane.  Working with a younger child?  Just cut the fringe ahead of time.

Once the fringe is cut on the brown circle, the yellow circle gets glued on its center to form the lion’s face.

(Hint:  We have done numerous toilet paper tube crafts and have found that glue sticks tend to not stick to the cardboard.  To keep little ones from going glue crazy with school glue, I squirt a little glue in a cup and have them use paint brushes to “paint” the glue onto the appropriate surfaces.)

Once the lion’s head was put together, the kids used a pen to draw on eyes, nose, and a mouth.  Googly eyes would also be cute.  For whiskers we glued on thin white strips of paper.  I experimented with yarn whiskers ahead of time, but the yarn kept sticking to me and not the cardboard tube, definitely too frustrating for little ones!

To put your lion together, glue the  head to the top of the tube, overhanging the top a bit.  The front and back legs get glued to the bottom of the tube with the feet overhanging so you can bend them to rest on the table surface.

For the lion’s tail I used the point of a pen to poke a small hole at the back of the tube.  I tied a knot into one end of the yarn and then pushed the yarn through the hole.  To keep the tail from falling out, I tied another knot at the other end of the yarn.

ROAR!

I hope you and your cubs enjoy this easy March craft.  Looking for more spring craft ideas?  Check out my spring craft page.

***

I originally shared this craft last year on Laugh with Us Blog.

Linked up with Milk and Cuddles, Sew Much Ado, Trendy Treehouse, Kids Activities Blog, Commercial Break Thursday, Somewhat Simple, Cheerios and Lattes, A Vision to Remember, All Things with Purpose, Sugar Aunts, Fine Finds Friday, No Time for Flashcards, Delicate Construction, Sew Can Do

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