Kitty Cat Gluing Project {#Craft}

I was paging through a rather popular catalog that has all kinds of kids' crafts in it and came across quite a few that I decided to try with Little Guy. The first is this Kitty Cat:

I attempted to create a template that you could print out for the cut-out parts, but I just can't figure it out without making it look like Little Guy drew it free-hand. So, here's what you need to cut out:

• 4-inch diameter circle in black (head)
• 6-inch diameter circle in black (body)
• 2 1/2-inch diameter circle, then cut in half in black (paws)
• 7-inch long (about 2 inches wide at largest spot) crescent shape with rounded top in black (tail)
• 1 1/2-inch square in black, then cut in half in black (ears)
• Two 1-inch diameter circles in yellow (eyes)
• about 3/4-inch tall heart shape in pink (nose)
• 1/2-inch tall triangle in pink (mouth)

And then you're also going to need this stuff:

• 1 White pipe cleaner cut into four equal pieces, then curl one end of each piece around a crayon
• 1 piece of yarn or ribbon tied into a bow
• 2 small black pom-poms for eyes
• White crayon
• Glue stick
• White glue or glue dots

Now, if you don't have all of this stuff, no biggie. You can use two different-sized plates for the head and body, just paint or even color them whatever color you (or your kids) want. No pipe cleaners? How about bread ties, spaghetti, string...? For those who aren't great at tying bows, cut one out of paper. You don't need pop-poms, either. Just use black paper or color them in with a crayon or marker. Oh, and the sizes? Not a big deal, either. I just kind of guessed at them.

Here are the basic steps to making kitty:

1. Outline all black parts with the white crayon (as you can see, Little Guy decided to go the extra mile!) And then draw the kitty's mouth on (I did that part.)
2. Use glue stick to glue on these parts: head, eyes, nose mouth, paws. Then flip it over and use the glue stick to add the tail and ears.
3. Use the white glue or glue dots to add the pom-poms to the eyes, then glue on the whiskers, and finally add the bow. 
4. The last step is always the hardest - let it all dry. We did our project before bed with the promise that it would be dry when he woke up.

The main thing to remember here is that this is a project that should be relatively easy for a preschooler to do with little help. I cut out all of the pieces while he was napping and put them into a paper bag. I found that when he wants to do a project, he wants to do it NOW, so waiting for me to do all of the cutting can make a fun project become a tantrum.

I had a picture of the project from the catalog taped onto the wall in front of Little Guy so he could see how it should look (great way to teach them to see how pictures can translate into real things!) I had him show me where he was planning on putting each piece AND where he planned on putting the glue before he actually did it. If his planned spots were way off, I'd say something like, "Well, let's look at the picture and see if it looks right." Often, he'd see the mistake. If not, I'd put the piece in the right place and ask him if that looked OK. If the pieces were going to be placed slightly off, I just left it alone - it wasn't MY project!

To keep the white glue from being over-used or getting everywhere, we have a "deal". He guides the bottle and I help squeeze it. I get to guide it, too, he just doesn't realize it. And I can control how fast the glue comes out. Try to work from top to bottom with the white glue so arms don't accidentally move previously added parts.

Have LOTS of fun!

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