At least 5 years ago I found this adorable Cub Scout Ornament on my girlfriend’s tree. It was an adorable little Cub Scout made with a clothes pin. I snapped a picture as I knew it would be perfect for my wolf den. It makes a great parent gift during the holidays. And with the new program I don’t have an adventure that it works towards I still like to make them. The boys love painting and parents love them.
They are pretty simple and easy to make in a den meeting. I usually like to wrap them with tissue paper and ribbon so the boys can take them home without their parents seeing what we made. I now have a couple of these on my tree from my own sons and they are so dear to my heart. Homemade ornaments are my favorite.
Cub Scout Clothes Pin Ornament Tutorial
Supplies Needed:
- wooden clothes pins
- paint
- string or cording
- blue and gold felt
- blue pipe cleaners, cut in half
- hot glue gun
- paint brushes
- sharpie markers
- scissors
- paint trays (not required but super handy. And they help the boys use less paint)
I like the boys to listen to the instruction before they start painting so they can work at their own speed. The first thing I like to tell them is to paint their face. Smooth thin coats dry faster than thick coats. We want them to dry first so we have time to add hair and facial features. Now they should also pay attention to where the legs are so they paint the face with the legs facing forward. I found some Plastic Paint Palettes and they are great at holding paint and encouraging boys to not use so much. I highly recommend them.
Also it’s really important to have a large variety of skin and hair choices. Encourage the boys to mix paint colors to get their skin tones just right. Having colors the each boy can identify will build their confidence. But it doesn’t mean they have to use those colors. I often have boys paint their hair color red when they aren’t redheads. Also be prepared to have some ninjas and pirate eye patches painted on as well.
Let the boys paint their hair style, again paying attention to where the face should be. Then I like the boys to hold their clothes pin at the chest and paint the legs blue. This year I had boys choose other pant colors. We have guides but the boys should be encouraged to be creative.
They can paint faces and hair color with paint or you can have sharpies for them to use. I like having a fine point marker to add detail.
The boys then can cut out a rectangle of blue felt. I like to match the felt and paint and pipe cleaners. And they also need a long triangle in gold. I usually have paper patterns for them to follow. It’s a great time to teach them about patterns and how to cut out felt effectively, without wasting fabric. Letting the boys cut their supplies, even if it means making mistakes, helps encourage independence and self confidence. If you like things to be perfect remind yourselves they are practicing.
When it’s time to use the glue gun I work one on one with each boy while my co-leader continues to help with cutting and painting. I ask each boy if they have worked with a hot glue gun before. I always remind them the silver part is especially hot. And if they have used a glue gun I let them do it themselves. Otherwise I do the first application and teach them as I glue the first item. Then I give them a chance to try it.
Have the boys cut some cording or string. Make a loop and glue both ends to the back of your clothes pin like shown below.
Attach the blue felt on your clothes pin, wrapping the felt around the clothes pin. If they are gluing and you are holding the clothes pin remind them the silver part is hot and you don’t want to get burned.
Again you are going to put glue on the back of your ornament. With your pipe cleaner folded attach it to your ornament to create arms.
To attach the scarf I like to add a small dot on the front of the ‘scouts’ chest. Press one corner to the felt. Then place another small amount of glue on top of that corner and wrap around the other corner to go over the top. Then using a skinny sharpie write their name and the year on the bottom of their feet. I made sure to do this as I am sure I will still be the wolf leader when their younger brothers become scouts. I always love dating and labeling which child made what as I find my memory starts to slip as I get older.
Now they have an adorable ornament they made to remember the fun times they had in cub scouts. And they can experience the joy of giving to others. I hope this fun cub craft is a bit hit in your den meeting. I would love it if you could pin this post or share it. And check out our other fun cub scout posts here. And I have a round up of other fun DIY ornaments to make.
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