Nom Nom!

Make a clothespin puppet with Caitlin Luttjohann, Director of STEAM Education at the Kansas Children’s Discovery Center. Then use your puppet to create a story, or just chow down on some pretend food! This activity is powered by our friends at Evergy.

What you need:

• Clothespins.
• Tape or glue.
• Paper.
• Markers.
• Scissors.

Directions:

1. Create a character using paper.
2. Cut in the middle of the mouth.
3. Tape or glue the top part of the character to the edge part of one piece of the clothespin.
4. Tape or glue the bottom part of the character to the other edge part of the clothespin.
5. You want to be able to pinch the clothespin so it opens the character’s mouth.
6. Add final touches to the character.
7. Repeat the steps and make additional characters!

Ways to Expand the Activity:

• Add clothespins together. Can you make a two-headed monster with clothespins?
• Make a larger clothespin using sticks and a rubber band. Attach two sticks together so that you can move them similar to how you move scissors. Attach a larger character to the sticks like the clothespins.

What Kids Learn:

• Hand eye coordination. Young children can use activities like this to help improve communication between their minds and bodies.
• Experimentation! When kids experiment, they’re learning how to learn. Failure is an important part of experimenting, so let kids try things that won’t work. It’s how they figure things out!
• Children gain social and emotional skills through dramatic play. When they pretend, they are experimenting in social roles, practicing language, and solving problems.
• Fine motor skills. Fine motor skills are smaller actions using the fingers and thumb for grasping.