Cupcake Wrapper Owls

I can't remember the first time I made these. It's been a few years, and every so often, I drag it out and do it again, because it's cute as all heck. I pulled it out this summer because we did an Oregon Trail themed week, and had the local Audubon Society come and do a show with live owls (which was SO COOL, you guys!).

So, of course, we had to make our own owls, and they're super easy and also adorable, and cheap. (Easy, cheap, and adorable is the magical trifecta of kids' crafts, in my book.) Here's how we did it:

Supplies:

• Toilet paper tubes (or paper towel roll tubes, cut to size, if you have concerns about hygiene)
• Cupcake wrappers (2 per owl)
• Construction paper or cardstock
• Markers or crayons
• Glue

Directions:

1.  Flatten your cupcake wrappers, and decorate with markers or crayons, if desired. 
2. Using your thumb, push in two sides of the top of the tube to make the owl's head, with "feather tufts" sticking up on either side. (See photo for what I'm talking about.)
3. Cut two large circles from colored paper/cardstock, and smaller ones from white. Cut one orange triangle for a beak. Glue the face together as shown in the photo above, overlapping the colored paper slightly. Set aside.
4. Cut one of your cupcake wrappers in half; these are your wings. Cut the other into quarters; these are your tail and feathers. I found it easiest to start with the bottom-front feather, overlapping slightly to make a "ruffle" on the bird's front. Then, glue the tail, and finally, the wings (which you can position however you like - is he taking flight? Perched on a branch?)
5. Once the feathers are all glued on, glue the face on the roll, overlapping the top of your feathers. Et voila!

Variation: If you don't have cupcake wrappers, you can use coffee filters (the white kind with the wavy edges). Flatten out the filter and cut off about an inch around the outside. The inside circle can be cut in half for the wings, and the wavy strip from the outside can be trimmed into 3" sections to use for belly feathers and a tail. If going this route, you probably want to decorate it before you cut. This would be really cool if you did the whole markers/rubbing alcohol craft, but you'd have to let that dry really well before starting.