Ducks

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Total Time Needed:: Afternoon Or Evening

These wacky duck costumes will have your whole neighborhood "quacking" up!

Materials

White baseball hat
Orange felt (1/2 yard)
Scissors
Glue stick
Black felt
2 large white pom-poms
2 sheets of orange construction paper
2 self-adhesive Velcro strips
2 large orange socks

Polyfil batting
White cloth tape or duct tape
White sweatshirt (two sizes too big)
Yellow felt (1/3 yard)
White felt (1 yard)
Orange leggings
White turtleneck
White sneakers

Instructions

To make the duck cap: Roughly trace the shape of the baseball hat visor onto orange felt twice, with a 1-inch margin around the front and sides. Cut out the shapes, then glue them to the top and underside of the visor, with the rounded edges slightly overlapping the front of the visor. Cut out four 1/2 inch-diameter black felt circles. Glue two of the circles to the visor for nostrils and the other two to the white pom-poms. Glue the pom-poms to the front of the hat for eyes.
To make the duck feet: Trace around each sneaker onto orange felt leaving a 1-inch margin; then cut out the tracings, making three webbed toes in the front of each foot. Gently fold the feet in half lengthwise and cut an asterisk shape into the back center of each foot, leaving a 3/4 inch-margin around the opening. Apply Velcro strips to the underside of the duck feet and the tops of the orange socks.
To make the duck body and wings: Shape polyfil into a thick cylindrical shape as wide as your "duck's" waist. Tape the stuffing inside the back of the sweatshirt. Cut three tail-feathers from the felt (ours are about 12 inches long). Fold the top 3 inches of each feather in half and tuck into the sweatpant waistband. To make a wing, fold a rectangle (ours is about 21 by 8) of white felt in half. Trace a simple wing shape onto the felt and cut it out, leaving the folded edge uncut. Adhere the tips of the wing together with double-sided tape or a glue stick. Be sure to leave a large enough sleeve for your child to slip his arm through. Repeat for the second wing.
Assembling the costume: Have your child wear the orange leggings, white turtleneck (tucked in at waist) and duck feet. Next, have him put on shoes (first) with socks over them. Finally, put on the sweatshirt and hat and prepare to do the duck walk!