Skill Level
Intermediate
Time to Make
1 hour
Adult Supervision
Yes
Top Tip
Painting the pieces for the body, legs and arms is easier they are threaded onto a thin bamboo skewers or garden sticks, so you can paint all the way round. Support the sticks while the paint is drying by resting the sticks across a mixing bowl or a box. The scarecrow's arms can either dangle down by the body or be fixed outwards. To hold them out, push a cocktail stick between the tops of the arm sections across the back of the scarecrow's neck. If you prefer to have the scarecrow on a stick so it can be pushed into a pot or flowerbed, cut the string above the hat leaving the knot in place, then push a garden stick up into one of the body sections.
How to Make
- For the body, paint 7 short bamboo sticks. For the arms paint 4 sticks (2 for each arm). For the legs, paint 4 sticks (2 for each leg). Leave to dry.
- To assemble the body, cover 1 painted bamboo stick with glue, then press the remaining 6 sticks around it, so the first stick stays in the middle. Hold the pieces together with an elastic band while the glue dries.
- To make the head, cut a 40cm length of twine. Thread it through the middle bamboo section on the body, then back up through one of the side sections and tie a knot at the top.
- Thread another (unpainted) bamboo stick above the knot, brush with glue, then wrap a long strip of tissue paper around the stick into a ball, leaving 1cm at the top uncovered. If the head needs to be bigger, add more tissue paper strips to build it up. Paint the head and leave to dry.
- To attach an arm and leg onto the body, cut a 40cm piece of twine. Thread the twine through one of the outer body sections leaving an even length at the top and bottom. Thread 2 painted bamboo sticks onto the top piece of string with a double knot at the end. Thread 2 leg sections at the bottom with a double knot at the end. Repeat to make another arm and leg on the opposite side of the body.
- To make the brim of the hat, cut an 8cm diameter circle from hessian then cut a small hole in the centre and fray the edges. Add a blob of glue on top of the scarecrow's head then press the hessian on top, so it fits over the top of the bamboo stick. Cut a thin hessian strip (approx. 3cm x 25cm), fray the edges, add glue to one end then wrap it around the bamboo stick. Glue the end and hold in place with an elastic band while it dries.
- Pull off some hessian threads and glue them under the brim of the hat for the scarecrow's hair. Glue more threads inside the ends of the arms and legs. Use a cocktail stick to help push the threads into the sticks.
- Glue card circles onto the scarecrow's head for the eyes and nose, glue a piece of coloured thread for the mouth. Add other details to the face with felt pens or paint. Decorate the scarecrow with felt flowers and tie a ribbon around the neck.
Share
×You can copy this link into emails, text messages or post on social media.
Share now