I’m going to let you in on a secret: my daughter LOVES to squeeze the glue bottle, usually using way too much glue for whatever she is doing.
Yours too?
These fun Squiggle Monsters let them squeeze that glue bottle ’till their heart’s content!
Materials needed to create your own Squiggle Monsters:
- Bottled Craft Glue
- Colored Sand
- Google Eyes
- Glitter (Optional, but what kid doesn’t like a bit of glitter?)
- Pieces of Flat Cardboard
To start with, cut your cardboard into large square or rectangular pieces. This will be your canvass. Cardboard provides a much stronger canvass for your masterpiece than regular paper.
Once your cardboard is ready, it’s time to get creative!
Give each child a bottle of glue and let them squeeze it into a squiggly shape.
Once they are happy with the results, it’s time to add the colored sand. If you have a large bottle of sand, you may want to put a small amount into a dish or a plastic salt shaker to eliminate a big mess. Make sure the glue is completely covered with sand.
We usually shake the excess sand off into a separate dish so we can add it back to our sand container when finished. If you are working outside and don’t mind losing a bit of sand, you can just tap the extra off into the grass.
Once your monster’s body is complete, it’s time to add googly eyes. You can also use a bit more glue to add a mouth or other details with a different colored sand or glitter.
Tip: Want to make more than one monster on your piece of cardboard? It’s best to make one at a time to keep the different colored sands from mixing on various monsters. (Unless you want a multi-colored one, which could be fun, too!)
You could also decorate the cardboard a bit beforehand to give you monsters a background.
Want to get even more creative? Get out craft feathers, beads, or even pipe cleaners to add to the monsters!
Not only do the squiggle monsters turn out super cute, but squeezing that glue bottle also helps strengthen those hand muscles.
Craft materials we like:
Emma says
There’s something about glue that makes it so much fun for kids to squeeze out, lol! Great idea put sand in the bottle so she can squeeze all she wants without a gooey mess!
Alecia @CSNY says
These are so cute! I love the addition of the eyes
OneMommy says
Google eyes make everything more fun. 😉
Kim says
These are fun! We don’t use sand enough in our crafts. I hope you will come by Made for Kids link party on Sunday at 10pm EST and link up. http://www.theresourcefulmama.com/
Karen says
What a fun activity and a cute decoration for Halloween! My boys will love making these Squiggle Monsters. I found your post on the #ToddlerFunFriday Link Up.
OneMommy says
Squiggle Monsters have become a big hit here — they may just take over the doors!
Thanks so much for stopping by!
Melissa French, The More With Less Mom says
There’s something about that sand, my kids just love it. Thanks for posting. Hello from Family Fun Friday.
Kim says
Thank you for linking up at #made4kids! These monsters look like a lot of fun to make. My kids love anything with sand. They would have a blast making these.
Ali Gilbert says
What an adorable idea! I will have to try this with my daughter! Thanks for sharing on Toddler Fun Friday!!
OneMommy says
Thank you. It has been one of my daughter’s favorites.