What You’ll Need

• Scissors
• Thin cardboard
• Poster board
• Wiggle eyes
• Markers
• Tape
• Paper clips
• Photos
• Ribbon

What to Do

1. Cut an octopus head from thin cardboard. Cover it with poster board. Add wiggle eyes*.
2. Cut eight arms and a hat from poster board. Glue them onto the head.
3. Add details with markers.
4. Tape a paper clip* to the back of each arm. Slide photos into the clips. Add a ribbon hanger.

*Wiggle eyes and paper clips can be choking hazards for children 4 and under

Extend the Fun

For younger kids: Arrange photos by theme, and change the display each week. Possible themes: A day at the beach. My best friends. All my cousins. The swim team. Our summer vacation.

For older kids: Not into photos? Keep track of the books you’ve read or the movies you’ve seen this summer, writing their names on little cards clipped to the octopus’s arms. You may have to make several octopuses by the time Labor Day rolls around!  

Craft by April Theis; text by Mary Sears.