Sponge Ball Animals DIY as a Water Fun Craft
As the temperatures soar this summer, we thought we’d make a water-friendly craft. What better way to beat those summertime blues than a good old fashioned water fight! But this time we added a twist: we spent hours and hours (and by that I mean fun kid hours) creating really cute sponge ball animals (we call them “spongemals”) to throw at each other!
Supplies for Sponge Ball Animal Craft
Here’s what you’ll need to make your own spongemals:
1. Sponges of course! You can find these at your local grocery store. Stock up! Buy a bunch in different colors.
2. rubber bands or yarn
3. embroidery floss and a yarn needle (not too sharp)
4. scissors
5. not pictured and totally optional: a hot glue gun* (I know, a glue gun is my vice. But it works!)
Instructions for Sponge Ball Animal Craft
Now lets get down to business.
This is very similar to all the sponge ball crafts that have been floating around the internet but we’re adding a head. What you’ll need to do is cut three long strips (about a half inch wide). Then with the remainder cut your animal’s head shape. It can be anything, cat, dog, alien…let the scissors doing the talking. Keep the scraps because you’ll need them to make eyes and noses.
Band together your long strips. Two of them will become your spongemals legs and the third strip will be it’s neck and tail. If your animal has a short tail, (like a dog) trim it or make the neck longer. These strips will move around some with use so don’t stress too hard about getting the proportions perfect.
Cut out your little bits for eyes and noses. (You could probably skip this step and draw them in with a permanent marker but they may fade with washing.) Place and get ready to sew! Or use hot glue if you are so inclined. I actually found that the hot glue stuck better than the sewing in cases of extreme water warfare. If your child will just be using this for light bath play, sewing will hold perfectly fine.
I’m not the most expert of seamstresses so I won’t get too technical with seam instructions. I basically just tried to hide my stitches within the sponge when possible but other than that my threads were an unorganized mess. Sew at your skill level. The kids won’t care.
Then soak and get ready to rumble!
p.s. These also make great bath toys!
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Difficulty Level: Easy to Moderate
Appropriate Age levels: Kids of any age will enjoy planning out their sponge ball animals but small children will need help cutting the sponges, banding the rubber bands and of course sewing or using a hot glue gun.
*Glue guns are hot and can burn. Always use with caution and keep away from small children.
More Summer Fun Ideas Here:
- Open the Cutest Lemonade Stand on the Block
- Pool Noodle Tic-Tac-Toe Craft
- Sail Into Summer with Ice Cube Boats
