Shape and Feel McDuff

This activity was inspired by McDuff and the Baby. To learn more about the book and to see all our McDuff activities, click here.

 

McDuff is not pleased. After the baby arrives in McDuff and the Baby, he is looked over and stepped over, his sleep is disturbed, and his fur is pulled by that tiresome little newcomer. But who wouldn't want to stroke that fluffy white coat? 

So that was the starting point of this craft. We took inspiration from a tangram dog, but used basic square, triangle, and rectangle shapes, and then cut out the shapes in white felt for his coat.

A fluffy cotton ball, stretched slightly to look like his short tail, added another texture. A length of ribbon became a collar, and instead of a dog-bone shaped tag which would be difficult for small hands to cut out, we added a metallic jingle bell similar to the one featured on the endpapers.

Ever heard of big, black shoe button eyes? A quick search through the button jar produced two matching buttons for eyes and a larger one for a nose. After collecting all the items we just got out the bottle of glue and attaching everything to a larger piece of craft felt. 

The beauty of this craft project is that nothing has to be exact. If you don't have felt, try craft foam, another type of fabric, textured or plain paper, or even bubble wrap for a modern twist. Use fabric or wrapping ribbon, a piece of plastic, or construction paper for the collar. For the background, use a larger piece of felt, paper, or cardboard. Try making a game of it: have your young readers look through all the craft supplies and items in the recycling bin to finding the perfect material for each element of McDuff. 

Depending on the scissor skills of your child, you may want to cut the shapes out first and then let your young reader assemble McDuff.

 

Shape and Feel McDuff

Suggested Supplies

• White felt for McDuff, another color felt for background
• Cotton ball
• Ribbon
• Buttons
• Glue
• Ribbon
• Small jungle bell for collar

1. Cut a square for the head.
   (Ours is about 3 1/2” x 3 1/4”)
2. Cut a rectangle for the body.
   (Ours is about 7” x 4 1/2”)
3. Cut 2 triangles for ears.
   (Ours are 1 1/2” tall  and 1 1/2” wide.)
4. Cut 4 small rectangles for legs.
   (Ours are 1 1/2” tall and 1/2” wide)
5. Cut a length of ribbon for the collar.
   (Ours is about 2 1/2”)
6. Slightly stretch the cotton ball out for the tail.
7. Arrange all pieces to make McDuff on the background. Once your reader is satisfied with each placement, have them glue everything down and let dry. 

 

 

Comments

[Triple T Mum]

Stopping by from Triple T Mum. Thanks for sharing with the Kids Co-op! Love how the dog has been made using tangram shapes. So many possibilities for other projects can be inspired from here!

[Lexie]

Thanks for stopping by Amie, and the encouragment! I've been loving looking through the Kids Co-op, there are so many wonderful ideas to find there.