Design A Green-Eyed Monster
Design and build a green eyed monster puppet using recycled materials, paint, and googly eyes to explore color mixing, texture, and imaginative storytelling.
Step-by-step guide to design a green-eyed monster puppet
Step 1
Lay down newspaper or an old towel on your table to protect it from paint and glue.
Step 2
Pick one recycled item to be your monster's body such as a cardboard tube an egg carton section or a small box.
Step 3
Gather your paints brushes googly eyes fabric scraps glue scissors and any other texture pieces next to your workspace.
Step 4
Make three shades of green on a palette by mixing yellow and blue for a middle green then add white for a light green and a tiny bit of blue or black for a dark green.
Step 5
Paint the monster body with your favorite green shade covering the areas you want colored.
Step 6
Let the paint dry completely before you touch the puppet.
Step 7
Glue on textured materials like fabric yarn or bubble wrap to create skin hair or scales.
Step 8
Stick on two or more googly eyes in fun places to give your monster character.
Step 9
Cut a mouth shape from colored paper or fabric and glue it onto the monster.
Step 10
Decide whether your monster will be a hand puppet or a stick puppet.
Step 11
Make a handle accordingly by taping or gluing a popsicle stick to the back for a stick puppet or by creating an opening for your hand if you used a tube.
Step 12
Write your monster's name and a one sentence story on a scrap of paper and tape it to the puppet.
Step 13
Share your finished green eyed monster puppet on DIY.org
Final steps
You're almost there! Complete all the steps, bring your creation to life, post it, and conquer the challenge!
Help!?
What can we use instead of googly eyes, a popsicle stick, or a cardboard tube if we don't have them?
Use bottle caps, buttons, or paper circles glued on for googly eyes; a sturdy straw, chopstick, or rolled-up piece of cardboard for a popsicle-stick handle; and a small cereal box or egg carton section instead of a cardboard tube for the monster body.
My paint keeps smudging when I try to glue fabric or bubble wrap—what should I do?
Follow the instruction to let the paint dry completely before touching the puppet, speed-dry with a fan or place in a sunny spot, then test glue on a scrap and use stronger craft glue or hot glue (with adult help) for heavier textured materials like fabric, yarn, or bubble wrap.
How can I adapt the steps to make this activity easier for preschoolers or more challenging for older kids?
For preschoolers pre-mix one safe washable green, pre-cut the mouth and openings for a tube hand puppet, and let them stick on big fabric scraps and stickers, while older kids can mix the three shades of green, add sewn or layered textures, create jointed limbs, and write a longer backstory instead of a one-sentence story.
What are some creative ways to extend or personalize the finished green-eyed monster puppet?
Attach a paper fastener to the cut mouth to make it movable with a popsicle-stick lever, glue on sequins or small LED micro-lights for extra eyes, sew or layer fabric scraps for clothing, and build a small cardboard puppet theater to perform the taped one-sentence story.
Watch videos on how to design a green-eyed monster puppet
🎭 The green-eyed monster - Learn English vocabulary & idioms with 'Shakespeare Speaks'
4 Videos
🎭 The green-eyed monster - Learn English vocabulary & idioms with 'Shakespeare Speaks'
The Berenstain Bears and the Green-Eyed Monster by Stan and Jan Berenstain
Go Away, Big Green Monster - Storytime Fun with Lisa
Why Should We Be Happy For Others? (Dealing with Jealousy) | The Green-Eyed Monster
Facts about recycled crafts for kids
♻️ Upcycling turns scrap and recycled materials into art, helping reduce waste while making one-of-a-kind creations.
👾 Designing a monster is a storytelling shortcut—kids can invent its name, favorite snack, and secret power to jumpstart imaginative plays.
👁️ Googly eyes instantly add personality—people are wired to notice eyes, so even a simple pair makes a puppet feel alive.
🎨 Mixing blue and yellow paint makes green—add white for lighter tints or a little black for darker shades to explore color variations.
🎭 Puppets have been used in performances for thousands of years—archaeologists found puppet-like figures in many ancient cultures!
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