Handprint / leaf hedgehog

With autumn upon us and leaves in abundance, you could get the children at your parent and toddler group to use their handprints either to create their own hedgehog or a huge display hedgehog.

Individual hedgehogs

• On a sheet of A4 card, draw a template of a bald hedgehog with a pointed snout.

• Get the children to paint their hands brown and press them onto the bald hedgehog. Decorate the ground underneath the hedgehog with torn up leaves. (PVA glue or double-sided sticky tape is better than Pritt stick at keeping the leaves stuck to the paper.)

Display hedgehog

• Either cut out loads of handprints and glue them onto a huge hedgehog, or:
• Get the children to collect pointed sycamore leaves and glue these on. Try to press the leaves down quite flat and paint over them with diluted PVA glue to give the hedgehog a bit of a shine (and to prevent him from moulting!)

If the thought of painting with 2-year-olds fills you with dread, you could always draw around the children's hands on pieces of white paper and colour them in or use brown paper.

From Su Chester, Hoolitots Co-ordinator, Hoole Lighthouse Centre, Chester

For another hedgehog craft check out the leafy hedgehog mask.

Last Updated 06 December 2010