Make a Muppet Face (tutorial)

This isn't really a formal tutorial.  It's more of an easy play idea I wanted to pass on.

I took my 3.5 yr old to see THE MUPPETS when it came out and he really enjoyed it. (although probably not as much as I did)  He is already a big Sesame Street fan.  I have always loved the Muppets because they are all shapes and sizes.  There isn't really ethnicity about them. They are all different shapes and sizes and colors. It's wonderful!  I love their diversity. 


I thought it would be a fun activity for my son to mix and match his own Muppet faces.  I cut up a cardboard box and covered some square pieces with black felt using a glue gun. I then cut out 4-5 typical Muppet face shapes and glued them onto the boards.  I then covered one large piece of cardboard with black felt that would be the holder for all of the features.  Finally, I cut out an array of Muppet features.  Eyes. Noses.  Hair.  Eyebrows. Glasses. Anything I could think of.  I ended up drawing the mouths onto the faces.  I may make some interchangeable mouths in the future.

Here are some sample faces he came up with:

I based this one on Bert but he has endless options:

I have been pleasantly surprised at how occupied this activity keeps my son.  He really enjoys making the faces although he seems really concerned about making them look exactly like his Sesame Street friends.  The best part is that you can make this using materials you most likely already have on hand.  The possibilities are endless!