DIY Spoon Puppets inspired by “Not Quite Narwhal”

“Not Quite Narwhal” by Jessie Sima

Kelp has always lived in the ocean with a family of Narwhals and he loves it.  He’s noticed that he’s a bit different in his tastes and abilities, however that doesn’t shake his confidence and his friends don’t mind a bit.  He really couldn’t be happier.  Then one day an undercurrent carries him away and when he surfaces from the water, much to his surprise, he sees a creature not at all unlike himself.

Curious he follows it only to discover that it is a unicorn and that he, in fact, is one as well.  He is thrilled with his new friends and all that they have in common, however he is torn between trying to decide where he belongs.  In the end he finds a way to merge his two worlds and embrace all that he is and everyone that he loves.

This book is absolutely darling.  The illustrations practically shine with their bright colors and crisp lines.  In addition to the illustrations, the text is adorable and I love the message this book teaches young children.  Family is those you love and home is where your heart is.

Click here to purchase “Not Quite Narwhal” *affiliate link

DIY Spoon Puppets

I am absolutely loving the fact that all things magical, including Narwhals and Unicorns are on trend right now.  Aren’t you?  I cannot get enough of all the magical creature books and products coming out right now so I had to join in the fun and create some of my own.  Spoon puppets seemed like the way-to-go and I was excited to give this classic a try for the first time.  I love how they turned out and am sharing the simple process with you today.  Narwhals for everyone!

Supplies:

• 2 unfinished wooden spoons
• nontoxic acrylic paint
• black sharpie
• glitter paper, white card stock, metallic gold marker
• hot glue gun and glue

Process:

1. These puppets are pretty self explanatory.  First you paint a base color and wait for them to dry.  I chose a blue for the narwhal and white for my unicorn.
2. After your base coat is dry you add the other details with more paint and a sharpie marker.  I used my marker for their faces and paint for everything els.  I also used the reverse side of the spoon for the narwhal to give him the appearance of a rounded back and painted a mane on the back of the unicorn.  Then wait for them to dry.
3. If you wish to do a clear sealing coat now would be the time.
4. After all your paint and details are dry, cut out some horns for your magical creatures.  For the unicorn I used a glitter craft paper and for the narwhal I used white card stock with a metallic gold marker to add swirls.  Glue them on with a bit of hot glue for durability and your done!

These two were incredibly fun to make and my little boy was enchanted with the results.  He wanted to start playing with them right away much to my delight.  I got a kick out of how he got them in a dueling spar with their horns.  (Boys! lol)  I also think these would be a blast with a puppet theater of some sort or even to carry in a diaper bag for road trip fun or on-the-go fun. The possibilities are endless!

If you give this Beyond the Book activity a try I’d love to hear how it goes! Share it on Instagram using hashtag #beyondthebook (I’m on Instagram as @book.nerd.mommy) or even just comment here with your thoughts. It would make my day! Or to simply save for later pin the image below.