Craft tutorials and free templates

Cereal box shadow theater

Whilst my shadow makers are perfect for younger children this cereal box shadow theater makes a great project for an older child.

It’s really simple to make, and can be made from household scraps, so why not flick the telly off this Halloween and get the kids to entertain for a bit!

Click the “read more” link below for a template and more information.

How to

You will need
♥ Empty cereal box
♥ A4 piece of tracing paper/greaseproof paper/vellum
♥ Sticky tape
♥ A4 sheet dark coloured paper/card
♥ Wooden sticks

Please note: All measurements given in this tutorial are based on you using a cereal box which is bigger than 21 x 30cm.

1) Begin by undoing all the flaps on the cereal box and laying it out flap.

2) Next, cut out two large rectangles on each face of the cereal box. The rectangles need to be 19 x 28cm.

3) With the printed side of the cereal box facing up, tape a piece of A4 tracing paper over one of the rectangles to create a screen.

4) Remove the two flaps either side of the screen.

5) Re-assemble the box (I re assembled mine so that it was inside out)

6) You can now decorate! I have scanned in my ‘scenery’ which you can use as a template. Click here to download (pdf). Simply print out the template and cut round the shapes – or use it to trace the shapes onto a black piece of paper. Remember to stick the scenery on the inside of the tracing paper screen.

I used some wooden coffee stirrers to stick the ‘skull’ and ‘bat’ onto. They were the perfect size and free! You could always use wooden skewers or twigs as an alternative.

7) Illuminate the back of the shadow theater with a bright lamp in order to bring the set to life (PLEASE REMEMBER lamps get hot – so don’t leave it unattended or too close to little ones, or big ones for that matter!).

If you or your kids fancy having a go at making your own puppets then check out the wonderful owlyshadowpuppets.com for inspiration. Andrea Everman is the creative force behind all these wonderful puppets. I think she is remarkably talented!

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