Kid Territory: Crafts: Wild Jigsaw Puzzles
Here's a puzzle we made from a magazine photo of a douc langur.
Do you have a favorite drawing you've done, or a favorite magazine picture or poster of an animal you like? Well, you can turn it into your very own jigsaw puzzle! You can also make jigsaw puzzles as gifts for your family and friends, with a drawing or photo of their favorite animals.
What you need
• A drawing, a magazine picture (ZOONOOZ is a good source for pictures), or a poster
• Rubber cement, glue sticks, or spray adhesive
• Thin, very lightweight cardboard (like the kind that new shirts are wrapped with)
• Scissors
What you do
1. Put your drawing or photo on top of the cardboard, and mark the top, bottom, and sides on the cardboard with a pencil. Cut out the cardboard so it's the same size as the picture.
2. Turn the picture over on a work surface or on paper towels, and spread rubber cement or a glue stick over the back of it. Be sure to get all the edges. You could also spray it with spray adhesive, but get an adult to help you. Now carefully lay the picture on top of the cardboard, glue side down, then smooth it so the picture is glued to the cardboard. Put some heavy books on top to press it down. Let the glue dry for at least several hours.
3. Now turn the cardboard over, and use a pencil to draw curved shapes that connect with each other, just like a jigsaw puzzle. Don't make the shapes too small, or they will be hard to cut out.
4. Cut along the lines of your shapes on the cardboard, and cut the cardboard and picture apart to make the puzzle pieces.
5. Reassemble the cut out puzzle and put some heavy books on top again for a few hours to press the shapes down so they don't curl up.
6. You can store the pieces in an envelope or box and put the puzzle together again and again. Or make a gift envelope or box to give a puzzle to a friend.
More
We provide many of our animals with puzzles, too. We call this "enrichment."
