This weekend I was inspired to do some crafting when I came across this craft pinboard. There are many great recycled paper towel and toilet paper roll crafts animals that are fun for kids. Toilet paper roll animals are a popular craft project for several reasons. Toilet paper rolls are readily available and free, making them an economical choice for crafting. Plus, these crafts encourage creativity and imagination as kids transform plain rolls into various animals. These 3 Toilet Paper Roll Animals are simple, eco-friendly, and adorable! I hope you enjoy making these 3 DIY Upcycled Paper Tube Animal Crafts. I provide a tutorial with full instructions for a toilet paper roll owl, bunny and crocodile/ alligator.

Toilet Paper Roll Animal Craft Instructions For Paper Tube Owl, Alligator & Bunny

Do you have extra empty toilet paper rolls laying around? They can be called by many names such as cardboard tube, toilet rolls, cardboard rolls, or empty toilet paper tubes. By any name, they are perfect for little hands to engage in fun crafts and make anything from farm animals to zoo animals. It is the perfect boredom buster for rainy days.

Here is a tutorial for making 3 paper tube animals- a DIY toilet paper roll owl, a toilet paper roll bunny, and a crocodile toilet paper roll craft. I have included step by step instructions and in process photos to help you complete these Toilet Paper Roll Animals.

1. DIY Toilet Paper Roll Owl

Level: Easy

Time: 5-10 min

Toilet Roll Owl Instructions:

• Bend in the top of your roll w/2 folds.
• Your owl shape is complete: now to decorate!
• I decided to wrap my roll in decorative paper for a polished look. You can unbend the tube while you cover in paper. Then bend back in place to continue making owls out of toilet paper rolls.

• Finally, I added paper eyes, wings, &  beak with school glue.  You could also use markers or paint to decorate the entire owl if you prefer or in addition.  Your toilet paper roll owl is now finished!

2. Toilet Paper Roll Bunny

Level: Moderate

Time: 10-15 min

How To Make A Toilet Paper Roll Bunny:

• Start by cutting 2 equal slices off of a spare paper tube for the ears.
• Paint all your pieces. Acrylic paint works well.
• Glue ears together and to the inside tube. You can use school glue for this or a hot glue gun.

• Decorate: I glued buttons for eyes (& the tail). I then stitched on the whiskers and nose with a needle and embroidery thread. Finally, I added  a cute little bow tie by tying a ribbon into a bow, trimming the edges and gluing it on. Hot glue works well for that.

3. Crocodile Toilet Paper Roll Craft

Level: Difficult

Time: 15-20 min

Toilet Paper Roll Crocodile Instructions:

This one is a bit tricky since you need an exacto knife and three toilet paper rolls.

• First, take one tube and trace your design with a pencil for the eyes and mouth. Then cut it out with scissors  (an adult may wish to use an exacto knife). This is the hardest part and an adult should do this for younger children while older children may just need supervision.

• To make your legs, make 2 parallel cuts on the bottom of your 2nd tube near the end.
• Then divide the section between your lines and cut it in half. Fold up each side to create L-shaped legs. 

• Repeat on the other end.
• Create his spiky spine: cut 2 sides of each triangle, then bend them up where they are still attached to the body.

• Cut a triangle tail from the 3rd roll and glue to the body.
• Attach the head by cutting a small piece out of the bottom of the head (at the end of the neck) and squeezing it into the body.

• I liked a natural look for the alligator, but I did paint the insides green for little hints of color.

Toilet Roll Animals Conclusion

Creating toilet paper roll animals helps improve fine motor skills, as kids cut, glue, paint, and decorate the rolls. This activity can be educational, helping children learn about different animals such as owls, their characteristics, and habitats. Crafting these animals is a fun and engaging activity that can keep children entertained for hours. I bet your kids will think this is a super duper fun activity! Bonus, it is frugal fun.

Using toilet paper rolls for crafts promotes recycling and teaches children about the importance of reusing materials. I definitely recommend these upcycled crafts! They are fun for kids and adults and are a great way to repurpose what was once headed for the trash. There are lots more fun ideas for toilet paper tubes upcycled into toys. Which of these Toilet Paper Roll Animals is your favorite? I’d love to see you and your child’s creations. Tag us @familyfocusblog and #familyfocusblog!

Post first written by Annabelle Absar, a Belmont University senior on April 8, 2013. I made a few updates and republished it here for my new readers to be able to enjoy these cool toilet roll animal crafts.

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