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Craft Tutorials | Crafts for Kids | Animal Crafts for Kids | Paper Bag Squirrel Puppets
Animal Crafts for Kids

Paper Bag Squirrel Puppets

Author by Amanda Davis on July 25, 2017 Updated on January 15, 2019

5 from 1 vote
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The purple squirrel is Surly and the brown squirrel is Andie. Together they intend to save their park.
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Surly Squirrel and the gang are back. We are once again in Oakton where the evil mayor has decided to bulldoze Liberty Park and build a dangerous amusement park in its place. Surly and his ragtag group of animal friends band together to save their home, defeat the mayor, and take back the park.

In celebration of the new movie THE NUT JOB 2, we will be making paper bag squirrel puppets so the kids can act out their favorite scenes! #TheNutJob2

 

In celebration of the movie THE NUT JOB 2, we will be making paper bag squirrel puppets so the kids can act out their favorite scenes!

This post is sponsored by Open Road Films and the movie THE NUT JOB 2.

Have you watched the trailer for this yet? It looks like such a cute and funny movie your kids will love! 

The movie came out on August 11, 2018, but now you can see it on Amazon video!

Let’s make these fun squirrel puppets so that they can use their imaginations and play act after watching! The purple squirrel is Surly and the brown squirrel is Andie. Together they intend to save their park.

The purple squirrel is Surly and the brown squirrel is Andie. Together they intend to save their park.

Double up the fun by using your paper bag puppets as actual bags and go outside for a nature scavenger hunt. An easy craft for kids that doubles as the perfect summer boredom buster!

How to Make Paper Bag Squirrel Puppets

How to Make Paper Bag Squirrel Puppets

There are two ways to use this pattern, depending on the age of the kids making this craft. You can simply print it out and have the kids color each face and glue them to the bag. If you have elementary aged kids that need a little more of a challenge, print the pattern and follow the instructions below for cutting out the pieces and putting the puppets together.

The purple squirrel is Surly and the brown squirrel is Andie. Together they intend to save their park.

When you’re all done having your puppet show, print the list of scavenger hunt items below and head outside for the big search!

Supplies you need for coloring the puppets:

  • Full face patterns (Surly and Andie)
  • Crayons, markers or colored pencils (brown, purple, green, black)
  • 2 brown paper lunch bags
  • Scissors
  • Glue stick


The coloring method is easier for younger children. So if your kids have a younger sibling that wants to play along, simply print the patterns above, have your little ones color them and cut them out, then glue them to the paper bag. Even the littles can make their own paper bag squirrel puppets!

The coloring method is easier for younger children. So if your kids have a younger sibling that wants to play along, simply print the patterns above, have your little ones color them and cut them out, then glue them to the paper bag. Even the littles can make their own paper bag squirrel puppets!

Supplies you need for cut/paste puppets:

  • Half face patterns
  • Construction paper (white, brown, purple, black)
  • Green, brown and black markers (or Crayons, colored pencils, etc)
  • 2 brown paper lunch bags
  • Scissors
  • Glue stick

For Surly, take a sheet of purple and a sheet of white construction paper.

Print out the half face patterns for your kids. For Surly, take a sheet of purple and a sheet of white construction paper. Stack them together and fold them in half like a greeting card.

Place the straight edge of the Surly face pattern along the FOLDED edge of the construction paper.

Place the straight edge of the Surly half-face pattern along the FOLDED edge of the construction paper.

CUT along the lines of the OUTSIDE of the pattern only, cutting through both sheets of construction paper.

CUT along the lines of the OUTSIDE of the pattern only, cutting through both sheets of construction paper.

Next, remove the purple shaped face piece, leaving only the white face. Place the pattern onto the white face and cut out the muzzle and around the entire eye and eyebrow.

Next, remove the purple shaped face piece, leaving only the white face.

Place the pattern onto the white face and cut out the muzzle and around the entire eye and eyebrow.

Place the pattern onto the white face and cut out the muzzle and around the entire eye and eyebrow.

Glue the white pieces to the purple face.

Glue the white pieces to the purple face.

Now use the existing pattern and the additional "right side" pattern to cut out the eyes. Color the pupils brown and the center black and color the eyebrows black. Cut out the actual eyes and eyebrows.

Now use the existing pattern and the additional “right side” pattern to cut out the eyes. Color the pupils brown and the center black and color the eyebrows black. Color the nose black (not pictured).

Cut out the actual eyes and eyebrows.

Cut out the actual eyes and eyebrows.

Glue the pieces to the face, then glue the completed face to the bottom flap of the paper bag.

Glue the pieces to the face and draw on a smile.

Glue the completed face to the bottom flap of the paper bag.

Glue the completed face to the bottom flap of the paper bag.

Repeat the above process for Andie's pattern, only this time use brown and white construction paper, and green and black markers for the eyes.

Repeat the above process for Andie’s pattern, only this time use brown and white construction paper, and green and black markers for the eyes.

To finish off the puppets, cover the front of the bags with brown paper (Andie) and purple paper (Surly) and a strip of white paper for the belly fur.

To finish off the paper bag squirrel puppets, cover the front of the bags with brown paper (Andie) and purple paper (Surly) and a strip of white paper for the belly fur.

After you've had your puppet show, print out this scavenger hunt list and take your bags outside to collect your items. This printable list will encourage kids to snoop around their own backyard looking for rocks, twigs, leaves and other items from nature.

Go Have a Scavenger Hunt!

After you’ve had your puppet show, print out this scavenger hunt list and take your bags outside to collect your items. This printable list will encourage kids to snoop around their own backyard looking for rocks, twigs, leaves and other items from nature.

After your scavenger hunt, you can find even more projects by browsing the ideas in our nature crafts section. While a prize certainly isn’t necessary it makes for good motivation! Something as simple as a sheet of stickers or getting to choose the movie for family night can be a great treat.

make a paper bag squirrel puppet

Enjoy the movie (in theaters August 11!) and have fun afterward as well!

You can follow NUT JOB 2 on your favorite social channels here:  

  • https://www.facebook.com/TheNutJobMovie/
  • https://www.instagram.com/thenutjobmovie/
  • https://twitter.com/thenutjobmovie
The purple squirrel is Surly and the brown squirrel is Andie. Together they intend to save their park.
Print Project
5 from 1 vote

Paper Bag Squirrel Puppets

Author: Amanda Formaro

Supplies

Supplies you need for coloring the puppets:

  • Full face patterns Surly and Andie
  • Crayons markers or colored pencils (brown, purple, green, black)
  • 2 brown paper lunch bags
  • Scissors
  • Glue stick

Supplies you need for cut/paste puppets:

  • Half face patterns
  • Construction paper white, brown, purple, black
  • Green brown and black markers (or Crayons, colored pencils, etc)
  • 2 brown paper lunch bags
  • Scissors
  • Glue stick

Instructions

Coloring the puppets:

  • The coloring method is easier for younger children. So if your kids have a younger sibling that wants to play along, simply print the patterns above, have your little ones color them and cut them out, then glue them to the paper bag. Even the littles can make their own paper bag squirrel puppets!

Cut/paste puppets:

  • Print out the half face patterns for your kids. For Surly, take a sheet of purple and a sheet of white construction paper. Stack them together and fold them in half like a greeting card.
  • Place the straight edge of the Surly half-face pattern along the FOLDED edge of the construction paper.
  • CUT along the lines of the OUTSIDE of the pattern only, cutting through both sheets of construction paper.
  • Next, remove the purple shaped face piece, leaving only the white face.
  • Place the pattern onto the white face and cut out the muzzle and around the entire eye and eyebrow.
  • Glue the white pieces to the purple face.
  • Now use the existing pattern and the additional "right side" pattern to cut out the eyes. Color the pupils brown and the center black and color the eyebrows black. Color the nose black (not pictured).
  • Cut out the actual eyes and eyebrows.
  • Glue the pieces to the face and draw on a smile.
  • Glue the completed face to the bottom flap of the paper bag.
  • Repeat the above process for Andie's pattern, only this time use brown and white construction paper, and green and black markers for the eyes.
  • To finish off the paper bag squirrel puppets, cover the front of the bags with brown paper (Andie) and purple paper (Surly) and a strip of white paper for the belly fur.

 

Make paper bag squirrel puppets to play out the scenes of the movie #TheNutJob2 - then head outside for a scavenger hunt! #sponsored Make paper bag squirrel puppets to play out the scenes of the movie #TheNutJob2 - then head outside for a scavenger hunt! #sponsored
  • Author
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Amanda Davis
Amanda Davis is the crafty, entrepreneurial mother of four children. She loves to bake, cook, make kid's crafts and create decorative items for her home. She is a crafting expert and guru in the kitchen and has appeared online and in print publications many times over the years.
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Filed Under: Animal Crafts for Kids, Easy Crafts for Kids, Sponsored Posts Tagged With: animal, kid's crafts, nut job, paper bag, puppet, puppets, sponsored, squirrel

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Comments

  1. Philippa says

    March 24, 2018 at 7:43 am

    Gutted this activity doesn’t have the printable page option like your other crafts to. It’s much easier to click on print and give the children the instructions.

    Do you think you could add the printable page option to this activity?

    (We love your activities!!)

    Reply
    • Amanda Formaro says

      May 6, 2018 at 11:22 am

      Sorry about that! I’ve just added the printable version :)

      Reply
  2. Gae Stroud says

    September 6, 2017 at 12:24 pm

    can not get to download so I can print the patterns for the paper bag squirrel (Surly & Andie)
    I am a volunteer at the Airway Heights Prison and we have craft/book fair days for the inmates children when they come to visit Dad. We have a lot of restrictions of what kind of materials we can bring in (like NO pipe cleaners, brads, sharp scissors, phones, cameras , any sharp object, etcs,etcs).
    So it is not easy to find new projects for the children and this project fits our safe prject, but I can not get a printable master sheet, Can U help me?
    Thanks,

    Reply
    • Amanda Formaro says

      September 8, 2017 at 6:29 pm

      Hmm, does this work instead? https://craftsbyamanda.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/NUT-JOB-SQUIRREL-FULL-PATTERN.pdf

      Reply
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