This easy button snail craft is a wonderful way for kids to learn more about this fascinating, slow-moving creature and gives the kids the freedom to create!
Spring is upon us, and you might be noticing garden snails in your backyard, especially after rain. Snails are not only shelled gastropods that are slow-moving, but also an integral part of our natural ecosystem.
Did you know that there are nearly 40,000 species of snails worldwide, living in environments ranging from seawater and freshwater to land? The shell of a snail grows with it. This means that the shell a snail is born with is the same one it will have for its entire life, expanding as the snail grows
This button snail craft for kids is an exciting way to bring all the interesting facts about snails to life. Using a simple snail shell template and a handful of buttons, your little ones can create adorable snails that are as unique as they are.
Whether you’re a parent looking for a fun weekend activity, a teacher in need of a classroom project, or a babysitter wanting to engage the kids in a creative task, this button snail craft is a fantastic choice. And since we are doing a snail craft, make sure to take your time and enjoy every moment!
How to Make a Button Snail Craft
Many of the supplies for the button snail craft, such as the popsicle sticks, buttons, and craft foam, can be found in the Dollar Store!
Materials:
- Jumbo craft stick
- Googly eyes
- Acrylic paint
- Pipe cleaners
- Craft foam
- Assorted buttons
- Glue gun and glue sticks
- Paintbrush
- Scissors
- Pencil
- Permanent marker
- Printable snail shell template (scroll to the bottom of the post for download instructions)
Instructions:
1. Apply the green acrylic paint to both sides of the jumbo craft stick. Set aside to dry. A second coat may be necessary if you can still see the wooden stick under the green paint.
2. Make two small dots using pink acrylic paint. We found dipping a new pencil eraser into paint and stamping the eraser on the craft stick the easiest way to achieve nice, round circles.
You’ll later use a permanent marker to draw a smile line between the two dots, so make sure to leave enough space in between. Set the craft stick aside to dry.
3. Cut the pipe cleaners so that you have two 4-inch sections. Bend each in half.
Glue a googly eye to the bent end of the pipe cleaners. Using a glue gun and glue stick is the fastest option, but if you don’t have them at home, you can use craft glue or tacky glue.
Set the pipe cleaners and googly eyes aside to dry completely.
4. Glue the pipe cleaners to one end of the craft stick. Make sure it’s the end with the two pink dots on the other side.
5. Flip over the craft stick and draw a smile between the two pink cheek circles.
6. Download and print out the snail shell template. There are several options:
- Print the template on printer paper. Cut out the shell outline and trace the snail shell template on craft foam with a pencil. Then cut along the traced line.
- Print the template on cardstock and use it for your snail shell.
- Don’t have a printer? You can certainly use a small paper plate as a substitute, though you may need to use acrylic paint to base coat the paper plate and give the shell some color.
7. Glue the buttons on the snail shell in a spiral pattern. You can use the snail shell template as a visual guide.
For younger kids, you may want to lightly draw the spiral on the craft foam with a pencil so that they can glue the buttons along the line. I also suggest using craft glue for preschool or lower-elementary kids instead of the glue gun pictured below.
8. Glue the finished shell to the craft stick body.
Click on the image below to grab your free printable button snail craft template!
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