Rabbit finger puppet template
This rabbit finger puppet is a great hand work project for older children or a wonderful one for adults to make and use in storytelling with younger children.
Equipment
- 2 colours of felt, one white sheet at least 8.5cm x 10cm
- One bright spring colour at least 8.5cm x 10cm
- Thread
- White wool (for the tail)
Instructions
- Cut 2 white rabbits pieces and two coloured rabbits pieces.
- Position the cut felt with the two coloured pieces inside and the two white pieces on the outside of each side. (White, coloured, coloured, white)
- Sew around the edge of the body with a small running stitch. Marked with the dotted line.
- Sew one piece of coloured felt to the white outer felt, to create one ear, following the diamond line. Repeat to create the second ear.
- With pink thread create a nose by sewing over point A several times.
- Sew two small eyes (one each side) with blue or black thread at point C.
- For the tail make a small wool pompom, by wrapping the white wool around two fingers several times, tie in the centre and then cut the loops at both ends. Attach to point B.
- Gently add a small amount of wool roving to the head to make a nice shape.
- Play!
How the Rabbit got his coat
With your rabbit finger puppet, you can tell a story, it’s lovely for an adult to tell a story, not only read them as oral storytelling is a super important bit of our history and a great way for children to learn and expand their imagination.
A long time ago when the world was new. All the animals had coats of different patterns, different sizes and different colours. Some had long fur others short. Some dark and others bright as the sun. They were always talking, talking about whose coat was the best.
The most proud of all the animals was the Otter. He believed his coat was so much better than the others, he would not even live among them for fear of them getting him dirty. Instead he lived far, far up the stream.
In fact Otter had moved so far up the stream, so long ago, many of the younger animals had never even seen him. They began to wonder if his coat really was that fine. So one bright spring Morning, as the days got longer and the young hatched and sprang out of their warm nests, a great meeting was called.
The young ones, who had heard so much about Otter, were worried he would not come. No one even really knew exactly where he lived.
Now the Rabbit thought her coat was the best. She had fine soft fur, smooth as the pussy willow: but what good was it if Otter did not come to the meeting. People would never know her coat was the best. So she made up her mind to travel up the great river and tell Otter of the great meeting.
When she arrived she saw otter with a wonderful soft brown fur coat, at once she knew that Otters’ coat was indeed the most wonderful. Otter was glad to see a visitor and asked her why she was so far up the great river. “ Oh”, said the Rabbit, “the animals sent me to bring you to a great meeting to celebrate the animal with the best fur, and as you live so far away they were afraid you might not know the road.” Otter thanked the Rabbit and together they set off to the meeting.
For three days and three nights they travelled down the river together, until they reached a pass where the thorns grow big and tall and tangled.
Rabbit began to collect sticks and dried leaves, and when Otter asked why she said it would be nice to have a warm fire to spend the evening by. After this Rabbit got a stick and whittled it down to a paddle. The Otter wondered and asked again what that was for. “I have good dreams when I sleep with a paddle under my head,” said the Rabbit.
Next the rabbit began to cut away the thorns to make a clean trail to the water. Otter once more wondered and ask what the Rabbit was doing. Rabbit said “this is the place where it rains fire, and it looks like the sky is angry tonight. You go to sleep and I will sit up and watch: if the fire does come I will call to you and you can run into the river. Better hang your coat on that tree over there, so it doesn’t get burnt.”
Otter did exactly this and then curled up and began to sleep. Only Rabbit kept awake. After the fire was only embers the Rabbit filled the paddle with hot coals and threw them up into the air shouting, “Otter, Otter it is raining fire! Run it is raining fire” As the hot coals fell all around the otter up he jumped and ran into the river.
Rabbit at once took Otters coat and put it on. Springing away as fast as he could. Otter has never yet come out of the water.
Rabbit sprang down the track to the great meeting. All the animals were waiting to see Otter. At last when they saw him they said to one another “Look Otter is coming, oh his coat surely is the most marvelous” But the Rabbit kept his paw over his face and his head down, eventually the brown bear lent close and lowered the paw. All at once everyone saw Rabbits nose. She sprang up to run away and as he started away the Bears paw struck him and pulled his tail off, but rabbit was too quick for them and ran away. And that is why Rabbit lives alone in the field, always watching, with a little white tail in her otherwise prefect coat.
Written by Stephanie Green from a traditional Cherokee Folk Story
If you like our rabbit finger puppet template, be sure to check out the Wilded Family Shop for more learning resource filled with wonder and creativity. https://waldorffamily.com/shop/