DIY in minutes: hand puppets

Here's a great little project for kids who love amphibians or playing out stories of princesses being kissed by frogs. Even better - get your child to put on a show for dad once they have made their puppets. Also, once you understand the basic pattern for making the puppet, you can make puppets into all kinds of characters.

Things you will need:
* Sheet of Green Construction Paper
* Two Green Pompoms, 1 inch
* Two Googly Eyes
* Red Paper, 4 by ¾ inch
* Glue
* Scissors

Step by step instructions:

1) First, the green paper needs to be folded into thirds, lengthwise. Keep the paper folded and then fold the length in half. Next, fold each half back onto itself. Your paper should now look like an accordion square. The side that has two folds is the front of your puppet.

Oven gloves and hand puppets

Here's a great idea if you want to distract your child while you're in the final stages of preparing food. Get some oven gloves with funny designs ... we've got one that looks like a crocodile and so it doubles up as a hand puppet as well ... does the trick for our little 20-month old every time. He loves it when we make up a story and play along with the oven glove croc ... funnily enough our stories always end up with the crocodile eating his hand or some other body part.

Anyway - it's great fun and I believe there a lots of funky designs for oven gloves. Would love to hear about other designs that you've come across ...

-Stef