… the wonderful wizard of Oz!
Do you remember the first time you watched The Wizard of Oz? I do. The tornado scene scared me half to death. More than the witch or the flying monkeys! There was something so incredible about that black and white scene… I was completely held to the screen.
And, of course, the Lollipop Kids, Glinda, the merry band of the heart/brain/courage-less sidekicks… it’s a magical experience.
I was thrilled to learn that the girls and I could get our hands on some Wizard of Oz crafts from Darice, created in celebration of the movie’s 75th anniversary next year. Lila and Lucy tore into the box and found some incredible goodies:
There were characters waiting to be assembled….
An assortment of masks, just waiting for adventures down the yellow brick road….
And oodles of colouring sheets, watercolour pages, and stickers (like the ones seen above). The girls were in heaven.
Lila was the most anxious to start putting the characters together. Because I had an idea for these little guys, we set to it right away.
It was really this easy. Clothespeg-turned-Tin-Man in about 5 minutes. He’s got glitter and sass!
And meet his friend, Mr. Scarecrow himself! (Lucy was especially taken with him)
“Hey friend! I like your belt!”
Lila got to work assembling Dorothy and the rest of her crew. She didn’t need my help at all. I was completely impressed. This child is growing up so fast! What’s next, sewing?!?!
No, it’s not. I’m not ready for that yet. I can barely sew as well as a four-year-old… I need to protect my rep around here.
The felt characters were meant to lie flat – that is, they WERE meant to lie flat, until we got clever. Hello Mr. Toilet Paper Tube.
Using the powers of hot glue (and also the powers of toilet paper rolls and skewers), we created these puppets out of the felt characters.
And if things get too scary (say.. a tornado shows up again!), then you can click your heels three times and say, “There’s no place like home!”
Especially when your home is full of characters – both preschool-sized and puppet sized!
“And then Dorothy says… do you guys want some Goldfish crackers?”
We had a blast with our box o’ Oz, and it’s still not over yet! There are plenty of activities that we look forward to playing with over the coming weeks! If you want to whip up your own Yellow Brick Road crew of puppets, or try out any of the other fantastic Wizard of Oz crafts, check out your local Joann, Michaels, AC Moore and other small retailers.
Follow Darice Crafts for even more Oz-fabulousness!
39 comments
Kenz @ Interiors by Kenz
Cute! I love the picture of your girls doing a puppet show!
We’re the type of people who mute the TV and listen to Dark Side of the Moon whilst watching The Wizard of Oz. Always makes for an interesting experience 🙂
Tara
Oh… that sounds… a little bit intense? I’d be the girl loudly crunching on chips and saying random things to fill the silences.
Yep. I’m that girl. Still adore me? 😉
Nat
Those are adorable! My daughter would love to make the puppets – thanks for telling us about them!
Tara
My kiddos had such a great time with the puppets! They’ve been played with so many times since we put them together!
Melanie
Eek! My little girl would love these!
Tara
I know! Aren’t they too sweet! Thanks, Melanie!
Condo Blues
What a great rainy day project!
Tara
Oh yes, and where we live, there is no shortage of rainy days! 🙂
Steph @ The Silly Pearl
Oh so cute! My girls would love these!
Tara
My girls loved these too! They played all sorts of game with their “puppets”!
Kirsten @ One Tough Mother
Awww…I love this! Wizard of Oz is one of my favorite movies ever – it really is so magical. These little characters are precious! (Yours and the cutouts!) Great idea to use toilet paper rolls. I can only imagine the little adventures they went on 🙂
Tara
The Wizard of Oz is a movie that all of us have a connection with (unless you haven’t seen it, in which case… wha?!?!) – I loved how sweet they turned out, and the girls had so much fun with them!
Sarah BB
This is super cute and so appropriate since I am moving to Kansas next week!
Tara
You’re moving to Kansas? How fun! Are you going to be quoting the movie for the first week? Because I think you should.
amy @ one artsy mama
Soooo fun!! Great idea!
Tara
Thank you so much, Amy! 🙂
Adrianne
My husband had never seen it!! We watched it on our family vacation last year. I think it’s a lot more magical when you are a child, though, LOL. So cute, looks like your girls had fun!
Tara
Oh… it was mind-boggling when I was a child. I loved it, I was petrified by it… I wondered how those horses were changing colour…
The girls had a great time. I think that these characters will be hanging around our house for a while!
ChiWei
These are so cute! I was scared too – the flying monkeys were a little too much for me. I love that you used toilet paper rolls to stand up the characters – makes for some great puppets!
Tara
I’m so glad that I wasn’t the only one! Those monkeys were something else… I have such vivid memories of them, and it’s been years since I’ve seen the film!
(And yay to TP rolls! Always handy!)
Lauren @ The Thinking Closet
This looks like SO much fun! And way to be super clever there with the toilet paper rolls (I know I’ve been saving those for SOME good reason). Loved being a fly on the wall for this playtime. Nothing beats the Wizard of OZ. It holds a place near and dear to my family’s heart because it was the movie my parents were watching the night my Mom went into labor with me! So, clearly, I wanted to get out of that womb and into the world of musical theatre. 😉 Thanks for sharing this awesome post, Tara!
Tara
Oh, I definitely think that hearing Dorothy crooning “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” whilst planning your birthday was directly responsible for your off-Broadway career. My girls are already acting out the journey down the yellow brick road… it totally brings me back!
Bethany
I am so in love with these! Awesome job as usual!
Tara
Awww… thanks, Bethany! I was really happy with how cute they were. And the girls adored them (of course).
Mel
Adorable! Love it genius idea using tp rolls too
Tara
Oh, thanks, Mel! Somehow, we never have a shortage of TP rolls! 😉
Danni@SiloHillFarm
Those are really cute! I love the tin man the best! Lucky you to have a front row seat to that puppet show!
Tara
There is rarely a shortage on entertainment in this house.
Or drama.
Same diff, sometimes. 😉
Bronwyn MayB
Oh my gosh. Thank goodness I read this thoroughly. I thought you created the clothes-pinned dolls yourself and I was going to punch you with my mind. There is only so much craftiness I can handle. That it was a kit makes me feel much better. They are super cute and I’m glad the girls liked them. I loved Wizard of Oz and am one of the few who also liked the sequel!
Tara
Okay… I just laughed right out loud at this.
No, I’m not THAT good. Kits are very helpful in appearing Awesomely Crafty. 😉
Marilyn
Tara, what fun! I LOVED the Wizard of Oz as a kid…but I must admit those flying monkeys always scared the poop out of me! 😉
Tara
Yes, they are terrifying. Also, that whole “house falling on someone”? I think that was mildly traumatizing for me as well!
terry
How adorable. And who doesn’t love the Wizard of Oz!
Tara
Exactly! It’s such a classic movie! 🙂
Kadie
Oh my goodness, those have to be the cutest Wizard of OZ figures ever! And how clever to put them on a TP roll to make them stand! Looks like your girls had a great time.:)
Tara
Oh, thank you, Kadie! The minute we put them on the TP rolls, they came to life! My “hoard” of recyclables really came in handy!
Mel {MamaBuzz}
What a great idea to put them on a toilet paper roll, so they stand! Love these crafting kits; so many options to make so many things.:)
Tara
The crafting kits are so awesome! It’s great for the kids to see their finished products and realize that they created them all by themselves – and the puppets are STILL being played with! 🙂
Rose Powell
Oh me oh my! So cute! I love that your little ones put on a little bit of “felt” theater! Toilet paper tubes are so useful!