Skip to main content
Supported by Hobbycraft

Make a beaver paper bag puppet

Make your own beaver puppet from a paper bag and discover fun facts about Britain’s largest rodent.

Back to Activities

You’ll need

  • Scissors
  • Glue sticks
  • Coloured pens or pencils
  • Pens or pencils
  • Long rectangular paper bags
  • Plain or coloured paper
  • Googly eyes (optional)
  • Pictures of a beaver (optional)

Hobbycraft discount code

Members and volunteers can now enjoy a 10% discount in every Hobbycraft shop!

You can use it to buy googly eyes, coloured pens, coloured paper, glue sticks, and anything else you need for your craft activities. 

To get your discount code, please fill in this request form.

Before you begin

  • Use the safety checklist to help you plan and risk assess your activity. There's guidance to help you carry out your risk assessment, including examples.   
  • Make sure all young people and adults involved in the activity know how to take part safely. 
  • Make sure you’ll have enough adult helpers. You may need some parents and carers to help. 

Planning and setting up this activity 

  • You could make a sample puppet first to show everyone, or provide a template for people to use to cut out the shapes.
  • If you don’t have paper bags, you could cut a body shape from thick paper or card and stick the pieces onto that instead.
  • This activity could be a fun way for Beavers to learn about the animal their section’s named after.
  • Beavers could add their Promise to the back of the puppet as a nice way to help them learn and remember it when they’re starting out, or to think about what it means to them. It’s also a good chance to chat about Beaver words like “Lodges” and “Colonies”.
  • You could do this activity for International Beaver Day (7 April), or even Canada Day (1 July) as the beaver is one of Canada’s official symbols.
  • Beavers are nature’s builders! They’re called the "engineers of the animal world". They use mud, wood, and stones to build dams across rivers and streams. This makes ponds where beavers build their homes, and their building work helps create new habitats for other wildlife too.
  • They’re Britain’s biggest rodents. Beavers are rodents, like mice and rats, but much bigger! A beaver can weigh 18–30 kg, that's about as heavy as a medium-sized dog.
  • They’re long and sturdy. Beavers grow to around 70–100 cm long, with tails that are 30–40 cm long.
  • They have amazing tails. A beaver’s tail is flat, wide, paddle-shaped, and scaly. It helps them steer when swimming, balance when sitting up, store fat for winter, and can even slap the water as a warning sound!
  • They love water! Beavers live in rivers and streams and like to have plenty of plants and trees around.
  • They are excellent swimmers. Beavers are slow on land but great swimmers. They can swim at speeds of up to five miles per hour and can hold their breath for up to 15 minutes.
  • They have built-in swimming goggles! Beavers have a second set of see-through eyelids, which they can close when they’re underwater, like a pair of goggles.
  • They help other animals too! The places beavers build their dams, like in wetlands and ponds, can help lots of other plants and animals live nearby.
  • They’re back in Britain after 400 years away! Beavers were once gone from Britain but have been returning thanks to reintroduction programmes.
  • They build special homes called lodges. They dig and build to make cosy homes, with underwater entrances to keep the family safe.
  • They live in groups called colonies. A colony is a family group of beavers living and working together in the same area. The young beavers are called kits.
  • Beavers are herbivores. They only eat plants, such as weeds, grasses, leaves, and the bark of trees.
  • They have big, strong teeth. Their front teeth are orange and keep growing all the time, perfect for cutting wood! They have two of these at the top of their mouth, and two at the bottom.

  • Source: The Wildlife Trusts

You can find out more about beavers on The Wildlife Trusts website.  

 

Find out about beavers 

  1. Start by asking everyone what they know about beavers (the animal).
  2. Share some of the fun facts above, either at the start or during the activity.
  3. Explain that some of the words used in Beaver Scouts, such as Colony and Lodge, are inspired by beavers themselves.
  4. Tell everyone they’re going to make their very own beaver puppets from paper bags.

Make your paper bag puppets 

  1. Get a long rectangular paper bag that’s still folded flat. You’ll be putting your hand inside to use the puppet, but keep it folded for now.
  2. Place your bag down with the folded base at the top – this part of the bag will be the face, with the teeth sticking out from under the fold, and the rest will be the body.
  3. Draw eyes and a nose on the folded base. You can also use googly eyes if you like.
  4. On paper, draw shapes for the tail, teeth, ears, and paws. You can use coloured paper or plain paper and colour them in. For more realistic beavers, make everything brown, except the teeth, which should be orange. Or have fun and make a colourful beaver. You’ll need these shapes:
    • Tail: an oval paddle-shaped tail (like the blade of a paddle) 
    • Ears:  two small semi-circles
    • Paws or legs: two shapes for the front paws or legs
    • Teeth: two long rectangles for the top front teeth, with a bit of extra length to stick under the fold
  1. Use colouring pens/pencils to add details, like lines or patterns on the tail.
    Carefully cut out all the pieces and stick them onto your bag:  
    • Glue the ears onto the top of the bag.
    • Glue the teeth under the flap so they stick out from underneath.
    • Glue a paw on each side of the body.
    • Glue the tail on the back near the bottom, so it sticks out and you can see it from the front. 
  1. Add finishing touches, like whiskers or fur.
  2. Wait until the glue is completely dry before gently sliding your hand inside the bag to bring your puppet to life!

Reflection

This activity involved getting creative and using your imagination to make your very own beaver puppet. 

How did it go? Did you find anything tricky? Remember, crafts aren’t about being perfect, they’re about having fun, trying things out, and enjoying the process. 

How did you feel while making your puppet? And how did you feel once it was finished? Many people find that doing crafts can make them feel happy or help them to relax. 

If you enjoyed this activity, what else would you like to make next? 

You also learned about beavers. What was your favourite thing you learnt? Did anything surprise you? Can you spot any similarities between beavers the animal and Beavers the Scouts? 

Safety

All activities must be safely managed. You must complete a thorough risk assessment and take appropriate steps to reduce risk. Use the safety checklist to help you plan and risk assess your activity. Always get approval for the activity, and have suitable supervision and an InTouch process.

You must run your activities in line with the Safeguarding Code of Conduct for Adults (Yellow Card) and report any concerns to the UK HQ Safeguarding Team.

Scissors

Supervise young people appropriately when they’re using scissors. Store all sharp objects securely, out of the reach of young people.

Glue and solvents

Always supervise young people appropriately when they’re using glue and solvent products. Make sure there’s plenty of ventilation. Be aware of any medical conditions that could be affected by glue or solvent use and make adjustments as needed.

Crafting with younger sections

Be well prepared, with everything ready before you begin. Make sure equipment and materials are age appropriate. Make sure small objects are not put in mouths, ears and noses. Remind young people not to put anything in their mouth and wash hands regularly. 

  • To make this activity easier, you could cut out the shapes in advance for people to glue on. You could also provide a template for people to use to cut out the shapes.

  • Some people might find scissors tricky to use. Make sure to provide scissors that everyone can manage (such as left-handed, tabletop, loop, or easy-grip scissors).People can also tear instead of cutting. You could have some pre-cut materials ready too.
  • If activities involve getting messy or touching certain textures, make sure everyone is comfortable. People could wear gloves, work with a friend to help them, or choose alternative materials and methods, such as painting directly onto card, rather than using natural items. No-one should be forced to touch or use something, as it may be distressing for them. Always speak with the person, and their parents or carers about what materials they’re comfortable with.

All Scout activities should be inclusive and accessible.

Beavers 40th Birthday Uniform Badge
Beavers Creative Activity Badge