7 February 2013

Entering the Year of the Snake

We are coming to the end of the Chinese Year of the Dragon and moving into the Year of the Snake on the 10th of February.  Froglife celebrated a different wild 'dragon' every month in 2012 and this year we will be sharing all sorts of snake-themed topics, including light hearted stories, mythbusting and the latest conservation news to help raise the profile of these often misunderstood creatures.

To kick us off, Froglifer Laura Brady is sharing her secrets for making the best snake based jewellery - a fun activity idea for half term.

Year of the Snake: Make Your Own Grass Snake Bracelet

"This activity is something we have a done on a number of Froglife events, it’s a great way of getting new audiences aware of our species, whilst also breaking the myth that snakes have to be scary.
Most Froglifers in the office know I have a bit of a crafty side.  I really think promoting our work through other media is great to reach even more people, especially the younger generations!  I hope you enjoy making this bracelet, you can make it as easy or as difficult as you like, depending on the age group - it would be great to see what you come up with so do share any pictures on our Facebook page."
You will need:
  • Empty toilet paper tube
  • Pencil
  • White paper
  • Scissors
  • Felt in green and yellow and red
  • Glue
  • Markers
Step One: Start by drawing the snake body onto the outside of a cardboard tube. Make sure the body angles downwards slightly as you go around the tube and narrow the body until you reach the tip of the tail.
Step Two: Carefully cut the snake body out and temporarily flatten it out onto a sheet of white paper. Use a pencil to trace the snake shape then reshape the cardboard snake back into its natural curled form.
 
Step Three: Trace the paper snake shape onto felt and cut two shapes out. One felt piece for the top of the snake and one for the bottom. Glue the top and bottom felt pieces onto the cardboard snake body.
 
If you want to add a snake tongue, sandwich it between the felt and cardboard while gluing everything together. Reshape the covered cardboard as needed and let the felt dry.
Add a couple of marker dots for nostrils and eyes and your little friend is ready to wear!
Photos: Laura Brady

No comments: