Step-by-step tutorial
Step 1
Gather your materials.
Step 2
Cut 6 feet (1.8 meters) of kraft paper and crumple it up.
Step 3
Uncrumple and roll the kraft paper lengthwise. Then twist it up.
Step 4
Tightly roll the twisted kraft paper into a spiral and use hot glue to secure the roll as you go. Hold the roll in place for a couple minutes each time you add glue.
Step 5
Repeat Steps 1-4 to make a second spiral.
Step 6
Cut two 1 foot (30.5 cm) pieces of kraft paper. Then roll and twist them. These will be the tentacles for the snail’s eyes!
Step 7
Glue the pom-poms to the top of the tentacles and add on googly eyes if you have them. Then glue the tentacles to the headband. It works best if you wrap the ends around the bottom of the headband. Be sure to hold them in place to secure the glue for several minutes!
Step 8
Cut a piece of cardboard so the length is slightly larger than the kraft paper spirals and the width is slightly smaller than your child’s back.
Step 9
Poke holes in the corners of the cardboard. Measure around your child’s arms (like your fitting a backpack) and adjust the length of the rope or ribbon. Tie the rope or ribbon onto the cardboard.
Step 10
Glue the kraft paper spirals together. Once the glue has dried, turn them on their side and glue the snail shell onto the cardboard. You’ll need a lot of glue to secure the shell so be sure to hold it in place for several minutes!
Step 11
Tada!
Learn more
Most land snails are pretty small, but did you know certain species can grow to be much bigger? The African Giant Snail is about 8 inches long (20 cm) on average. That’s longer than a brand new pencil!
