When I took stock of all my craft supplies and shared the progress with my facebook community members I was shocked at how many pipe cleaners and pom poms I had. I immediately wrote down in my brainstorming journal to do a craft that would use some of this stock up. After a trip to the aquarium where we saw an octopus I knew just what to do. These paper plate and pom pom octopus crafts were big hits and they also worked on a handful of important skills like fine motor , eye hand coordination and counting!
- Gather your materials. You will need some paper plates, pom poms , glue, googly eyes, a single hole punch and pipe cleaners. If you are doing this with a child who is still eager to put small things in their mouth skip the pom poms and instead paint or use crayons to color your octopus!
- Start by punching holes in the bottom of your plate. I did this for my daughter but my son did it himself.
- Thread your pipe cleaners through until the short end can be twisted around the long one.
- Next glue on the eyes.
- Add more glue.
- Add pom poms. Pinching and placing the pom poms is also great for fine motor development. As they added the pom poms they counted them and my daughter compared sizes as well.
- Let dry .
Does your little one love octopuses? Check out some of the other octopus crafts we’ve made over the years. Click the image to check them out.
Shann says
Thanks for the post! Now I know what to do with my stash. ; )
Shann says
Thanks for the tip. I was too wondering what to do with my Pom Pom balls! ; )
Kirstylee says
I love those fuzzy pipe cleaners. I have never seen any that big before, but I will have to keep an eye out. I am going to the aquarium with my kiddos soon and this will probably be the perfect follow up craft!
Missy @ Dot-to-Dot Connections says
Another great idea! You have so many of them 🙂 Thank you for sharing this!