Camel Craft for Parsha Learning
Create this adorable camel craft using this free template for fun Parsha play! When you’re done, check out this aleph bet coloring page. This post contains affiliate links.
Welcome to a new round of Bereishit, the first book of the Torah! This is such an exciting time to explore the Parsha of each week with young children because of the storytelling style. We can explore the morals and values portrayed in the Torah’s stories, as well as learn about how our ancestors lived thousands of years ago.
This camel craft, which you can create using everyday materials you probably already have on hand, is a perfect accessory to your Parsha exploration. You can use it in pretend play to act out the stories or as a display piece – either way, it’s a great visual demonstration of travel in the ancient Middle East.
This project is great for all ages. While the template includes tassels cut out of paper, younger children may have an easier time without those tiny shapes – they can either cut random snips of paper, cut little pieces of yarn, or draw designs with markers.
Random snips are actually an excellent way for preschoolers to build their scissor skills – it’s pure fun without the stress of following outlines. To help them get started, cut a strip of paper about 1 cm wide. Then show your little one how to snip little pieces off the ends. The irregular shapes that come out will be perfect for the tassels on the camel’s saddle or a fun pattern.
You can also do both – draw designs on the main part of the saddles using markers, and then cut out either the template or the snips to make tassels on the edges.
For the body of this project, a toilet paper roll is suggested. If you don’t have one available or would prefer another option, you can roll your own tube out of cardstock and tape it shut, or you can use any kind of cardboard tube cut to about the same size as a toilet paper roll – for example, a paper towel roll cut in half can make two smaller camels.
One last suggestion before we get started – the template includes one of each saddle shape, forming a complete design when viewed from the side of the camel. If you want to use it in really immersive 3-d play and see it equally from both sides, you can trace each saddle shape twice. Glue the bottom of each one to each side of the camel, and then join them together at the top.
What you need
- Colored paper
- Empty toilet paper roll or cardboard tube
- Brown cardstock
- Brown cardboard (e.g. small piece of a box)
- Scissors
- Glue
- Pencil
- Markers
- Optional: wiggly eyes
Make this camel Craft
1. Trace the camel body parts of the template onto the cardstock. Trace the saddle patterns onto the colored craft papers of your choice. Cut out the traced shapes.
2. The saddle has 3 parts: small, medium and large. Use markers to decorate each part individually before gluing them together.
3. Glue all 3 saddle parts together.
4. Take the empty cardboard roll and cover it with a piece of brown cardstock if the color of the roll doesn’t match with the brown cardstock used for the rest of the patterns.
5. Cut small (about 1 cm) slits on 2 opposite ends of the TP roll. One slit will be used to attach the tail cutout and the other one for the head.
6. Make 4 slits at the bottom for the 4 legs.
7. Cut out 4 strips of cardboard for the camel’s legs.
8. Insert one end of each leg strip into the holes you made for the bottom of the roll. Make sure the ends sticking out are all the same length so your camel will be able to stand.
9. Use markers to draw the face of the camel on the head cutout. If you’d like, you can use a wiggly eye or sticker for the eye at this point.
10. Slide the tail and the head into the slits prepared for them. Use a drop of glue to secure them if they don’t feel stable.
11. Glue the saddle to the side/top of the camel.
Download the Camel Craft Template
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