Make your own Dumbo DIY Craft at home!
Dumbo, the live action Disney movie is airing soon and I had to make my own Dumbo DIY craft to celebrate this remake!
I remember watching this on VHS tape as a child and tearing as Dumbo’s mother sings and rocks him on her trunk as they say goodbye. The line I remember from this movie is:
“The very things that hold you down are going to lift you up.”
We were hence inspired to make our own uplifting Dumbo DIY craft that celebrates Dumbo’s differences that make him so unique.
Materials for Dumbo DIY Craft:
- PositiveLeePeilin Dumbo DIY craft printable
- Toilet roll
- Colored EVA 1mm foam sheets or Artcard
- Colored art paper
- Strong thread or string
- 2 small key rings (to fit fingers)
- Sewing needle
- Penknife / scissors
- Glue
- Pencil / marker
Directions:
- Download your free PositiveLeePeilin Dumbo printable here.
- Print it out. You have the option to print this in colour or black outline.
- Cut out the elephant’s parts and accessories.
- Glue the eyes and hat on the elephant’s head.
5. Using a needle and thread, poke a small hole through the dot indicated on the ear.
6. Tie and knot the thread through the hole. Do this for each ear. Do not tie the rings yet.
(Pro Tip: make sure the thread is longer than the body and enough to tie the rings. You can cut away any excess thread later.)
7. Wrap and glue coloured paper around the toilet roll. This is the elephant’s body.
8. Glue the head to the body, with about ⅓ of the head’s length (including the hat) extending beyond the body.
9. Once the head is glued on, determine the position where the ears should be. Ensure there is enough space for the ears to flap pass the sides of Dumbo’s face.
Pro Tip: Use a marker to ink the edge of the ear stem, then touch the location on each side of the head. This will leave a thin line where the cuts are to be made for the ears to be slotted through.)
10. Using a penknife, carefully cut the slots at where you’ve made the markings.
11. Fit the stems of the ears through the slots. Make sure they aren’t too tight, nor the slots too big. You may need to do steps 10 and 11 a few times to get the right fit.
12. When the ears can fit well through the slots, tug gently on the threads to check they flap well.
13. Tie the rings to each of the threads and cut away any excess.
14. As with the slots for the ears, carefully cut along the short curve line on the face. This will be for Dumbo’s trunk.
15. Once you’ve cut a curve slot through the core material, fit the trunk. You can curl it or bend into a ‘S’ shape and stick the apex of the curve to Dumbo’s face.
That’s it! Now your elephant can soar! 🙂
You can get the coloured version of this Dumbo freebie for a quick & easy craft. I made one in black outline as well, and you can email me at positiveleepeilin@gmail.com if you would like that version instead!
We would love to see your own Dumbo DIY craft! Tag us at @PositiveLeePeilin on Facebook or Instagram or use the hashtag #PositiveLeeDIY.
Bonus: We’ve created a list of our Top 3 Favourite Books about Elephants!. Use these to complement this elephant craft!
