An octopus consists of a bulb-type head and eight legs.
The octopus is a sea creature with eight legs. Called tentacles, the legs are attached to his head, and he has no bones in his body. Some species of this creature are small, while others are known to grow to 10 feet from the head to the end of the tentacles. Children can make a variety of octopus crafts for display or for play. The crafts work well for home, school, Scouting, camping and vacation Bible school.
Hiding Octopus
Use a hiding octopus toy to teach children that this creature hides in the darkness of the waters, watching for smaller creatures to eat or to hide from predators. Provide a two-piece plastic egg for each child. Have the children fan-fold (accordion fold) eight 1/4-by-4-inch strips of paper. Tape one paper tentacle on each of eight evenly spaced places around the inside edge of one of the pieces of the egg. To hide the legs, fold them inside the egg and put the other piece on to make an egg-shaped hiding place. To have the octopus come out of hiding, the children should separate the two egg pieces and set the empty one aside. Shake the octopus slightly so the legs will stretch out.
Octopus Sun Catcher Mobile
Give each child a clear, disposable plate. They should cut pieces from colorful plastic shopping bags. Have the children glue pieces of plastic onto the plate in a mosaic style. Then have them cut and glue eight plastic strips for tentacles around the edge of about half of the plate. Stand the plate on the edge where the tentacles are, as this will be the bottom of the mobile. Glue or staple a loop of string to make a hanger for the mobile. If desired, the children can glue large craft eyes to the center of the body.
Braided Octopus
Kids can make a small or large braided octopus with plastic lacing and a metal ring.
Have the children cut 24 pieces of plastic lacing in same-sized lengths. They should fold three laces in half and place them together over a 2- to 6-inch metal ring. Pull the ends through the folded loop of lacing and pull tightly to hold in place. Have them braid the three pieces of lacing together and tie the ends together. Repeat seven times. For eyes, cut a piece of lacing slightly longer than the diameter of the ring. Tie one end of lacing onto one side of the ring. Tie one knot one-third of the way across the lacing and the second knot two-thirds of the way across. Tie the leftover end to the opposite side of the ring. The knots will look like eyes.
Octopus Glove Puppet
Have the kids make a two-handed puppet from gloves. Give each child two canvas gardening gloves. Tie the two thumbs together. Have the children color their puppets with permanent markers. To play with the puppets, they should slip their hands into the gloves, avoiding the thumb area. Their gloved fingers will become eight movable legs.
