Louis the Alligator Bookmark
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Inspired by the trumpet-playing virtuoso alligator, Louis, who wants nothing more than to play music for an appreciative audience of humans, this amusing reptilian image is an instrumental homework helper. Your child can slip it between the pages of a book to mark his place or use it to jazz up a notebook or journal by gluing it onto the cover.
Download Louis the Alligator Bookmark TemplateWhat you'll need
- Louis the Alligator Bookmark template
- Scissors
- Colored craft or scrapbook paper (green, beige or light tan, yellow, and white)
- Glue stick
- Fine-tipped colored markers
- Pencil
How to make it
Print the template and use the pieces to cut out the alligator body and legs (two front and two hind) from green paper, the belly/underside from beige or light tan, and teeth from white paper.
Glue the belly/underside atop the body, as shown.
Then glue on the legs.
Cut out a pair of small oval eyes (the ones shown here measure about 1/4 inch from top to bottom) from yellow paper and draw on pupils. Glue the eyes in place.
Help your child draw on a jaw line, extending it all the way around the front of the nose. Then have him glue the two groups of teeth in place just below the jaw line.
Next, draw on eyebrows, a nostril, and other distinguishing lines. Color on claws and rows of dark green scales along the alligator's spine and tail.
For the finishing touch, use a pencil to trace the three template pieces for the trumpet onto yellow paper. The pieces are small, so younger kids will need some adult help with this. Go over the trace lines with a black marker and then cut out the pieces.
Glue the straight ends of the two curved pipes together, overlapping them bit, as shown.
Draw valve lines on the rectangular piece and then slip it behind the center pipe and glue it in place. Now have your child glue the assembled trumpet to Louis's front leg.
