Table of Content
The next year we did not have the convenience of re-using the monkey costume for a 4th year. As a matter of fact, we went in the opposite direction and ended up spending by far the most time we had ever spent on making costumes. My wife sent me a link to a photo of a kid who had a homemade Shrek paper mache mask. It was great for something a little kid had done all by himself but if we were to do it we would naturally strive for near perfection as we always do in our costumes. I don’t think either of us had ever done much with paper mache other than the normal grade school art class things kids do.
Lastly sew the interfacing rectangle onto the back of the body rectangle. Use the opening at the bottom of the ears to pull the felt through and turn them inside out. This will hide the seam that you made by gluing the 2 pieces together so they look seamless. If you are attaching the tail to a onesie, just put it on the lower back area. An animated crocodile with the voice of an angel spreads New York cheer in this breezy and highly likeable family film. Enter for a chance to win Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile on DVD.
Make your own angel costume
For the pulp, we tried both shredded up newspaper as well as little bits of broken up egg carton. For the glue for the pulp we used watered down white glue. Originally I had this idea to sew on some black ribbon to the back of an oversized t-shirt – but ran out of time before the festival. I did paint some more strips of cereal box grey and simply glued on some wool. Using grey – because that is what colour my neighbour had.
I like using fleece so I don't have to hem anything. The body of the donkey is one big rectangle piece. The head is a rectangle of fleece sewn to the middle of the body.
Making the Body and the Tail
Use a marker to sketch the circles out onto the felt before you cut them. Use sharp scissors to cut them out, and try to make the circles as even as possible so that your ears match up. If the glue came apart in any areas while you were turning the tail inside out, just patch it with a dab of hot glue. Make the sack into a simple tunic top. Make cuts down the side for the arms to come through, and at the top for the head.

Punch holes into two of the star points on each card, and tie ribbon from one star to the other, making a sandwich board effect. Cut both pieces into stars of equal sizes. Do be aware that your child may have to sit down at some point so don’t make the stars so big that this becomes difficult.
Multiplication Practice Cards
As with Mary and Joseph, use a skirt at home or add cloth to make a skirt longer if needed. Ask your child to design their own pendant from the remaining gold card and glitter, punch a hole in the centre of it using a hole punch then thread it onto a plastic necklace. If they find that uncomfortable, you could just use one star that they wear on their back like a rucksack, or simply stick lots of little shiny stars onto their T-shirt. You could even use Christmas tree decorations if you like. Get them to wear the gloves and socks as hooves and, voilà, you have a sheep.

A monkey isn’t a monkey without its tail! Measure out a long and thin piece of the same brown felt you used for the tummy to create a long and skinny tail. It’s not only teaching my little one things, it’s showing me how things should’ve been done when I was younger. I do wish you were around then, as your content is fantastic and my little boy looks forward to your daily worksheets. Have the jumper or tights/leggings as woolly as possible – you can stick on cotton buds with glue to make more fluffy.
How do you make the donkeychin?
If you have a long skirt at home your child can wear this, otherwise add a length of fabric around the bottom of the tunic and secure it with safety pins. So for the mask we started with one big balloon. After two layers of paper mache the balloon inside just randomly popped.
The following year we all did the Wizard of Oz where my wife was the scarecrow, our son was the lion, I was the Tinman and we even got our nanny involved as Dorothy. The next year our son was 3 but we again had a 1 month old so we went as the Evolution of Man. The one month old was a 1-celled Protozoa, his brother was a monkey, my wife and I were a caveman and cavewoman and our new Au Pair was a modern woman. Then, next year, we did Dora the Explorer. Then, naturally, my wife was Dora. The following year we all went as the Jungle Book where we once again got to use the monkey costume.
Ask the person you want to make the costume for first to double check that they'd like to dress as a monkey before you put a lot of time and effort into it. Wear a monkey mask if you can find one. If you’re worried that people still won’t know what your costume is, throw on a plastic monkey mask with your outfit. You can usually find cheap plastic ones online or in a costume store.

So we had to figure out what we were doing and also had not correctly estimated the amount of time it was going to take. And, as usual, we had waited fairly late to get started. Plus with paper mache you can only do so much at a time and then you need to stop and let it dry.
Spread glue over the large sheets of card and cover them in foil. However, if you're short of time, take the route of ultimate ease and buy a Nativity costume for your little star; we've rounded up some top picks for you to choose from. Punch holes into two of the star points on each card and tie them with ribbon so they rest upon your child’s shoulders. You can always add to the effect using face paints too. Give the tunic shape by wrapping the belt or rope around the waist.