Pipe Cleaner Snake

Last summer's Cub Scout Day Camp theme was Jungle Adventure. Steve and I alternated days as a leader and on one of my days, the boys made snakes from pipe cleaners to wear on their name badges. They enjoyed making them and happily put them on their name badges before we set off for a hike. Not five minutes had passed before I started hearing from various boys in our den that their snake had lost his eyes or tongue. Almost no one's snake survived our short hike, including Trevor's, leading me to believe the problem was with the adhesive and not with the boys.

For the last few months, I've been meaning to experiment with this craft to make a version that is more sturdy and just as cute. I finally did just that. Affiliate links below. 

 

Pipe Cleaner Snake

Materials:

• light and dark green pipe cleaners
• googly eyes
• red felt 
• microtip scissors
• craft glue (this Turbo Tacky is really strong and dries quickly)  

Steps: 

Twist the two pipe cleaners together to make the snake's stripes. Give an extra twist to the ends so that the pipe cleaners don't come apart. 

Bend about 1/2 inch of one end of the pipe cleaner under itself to start the head. Repeat. Give a slight twist so the face area is flat. 

Coil the remainder of the pipe cleaner to make the snake's body.

Snip a forked tongue from the red felt. Add a drop of glue to the tongue and push it between the coiled pipe cleaners to secure it in place.

Glue on the eyes.  

Allow the glue to dry completely before attempting a hike. Enjoy this easy, fun, and totally cute snake craft!