Arctic Hare Ears

We made arctic animal ears for the school’s winter holiday concert.  Our daughter wanted a pair of her own, thus our son got to work!

Materials

• Stiffened felt (You can buy this at craft stores.  The white we chose has a glittered finish on one side.)
• Felt (for the interior of the ears)
• Faux fur
• Glue gun/glue OR you could use fabric glue
• Headband
• Scissors
• Template (and printer) bunny_ear_template

We always find these items helpful too:

• Smock
• Craft tray

Directions

• First we printed out the template.  You could draw ears of your own as well.  Cut the pieces out.

• Flip your stiff felt over so the glittered side is facing down.  Trace around your ear template twice with pencil.  If it makes it easier, make a tape “donut” and apply it to the back of the template and attach it to the felt, to hold it in place.

• Cut your ears out.

• For the felt ear interiors we used a different method where we folded the felt in half (To make two interiors at once) and applied the template with tape, cutting around it with good scissors (fabric scissors or these kitchen scissors which are awesome!).  This step eliminates the tracing if your child feels confident to proceed to that step.

• Glue your interior portion of your ears to the outside portion.

• Add any embellishments you might like.  This is the time to really personalize your ears!  Our son added a bit of faux fur.  He cut out some tufts.  One trick is to put a thin line of glue on the bottom of the good side (as shown) and then attach it to the ear upside down.  Allow this to set and then add glue to the back of the tuft and glue it onto your ear base.  This creates a cleaner, more natural looking fur addition.

• Trim the fur as you like.

• Flip your ears over and then lay the headband on top, adjusting the placement until you have the desired position.  Put glue on the tabs and fold them over, securing them to the headband.  You may need a little adult help with this. (To hold the headband steady while you glue.)

• Once your ears have dried, give them to a sibling or friend!

• Watch out for foxes!

• Along with arctic foxes, we made wolves, polar bears, and lynx.  What type of animal ears could you make?

Purpose

• Learning about animals (their physical characteristics, their habitats and how their appearance lends to their survival)
• Working with various materials

Safety Notes

• We suggest that you wear a smock and use a craft tray to protect your clothing and surfaces.
• Use scissors and a glue gun with care and direct adult supervision, guidance and assistance.