The other day I was working on putting together some space crafts for Space Jr., and needed one more project to make the rows of project photographs even (how’s that for an excuse to stop working and start crafting?!). So for lunch I watched Martha Stewart and made pipe cleaner aliens. It was a good lunch!!

Easy Alien Pipe Cleaner Crafts

The absolute BEST part of making pipe cleaner aliens is that there are no rules and anything goes.

Only have one googly eye? Great!
Do your colors mismatch? Even better!
Is one arm longer than the other?! Perfecto!!

When I made some of these with my kids last year, they went crazy with it, pretty much wiping me out of pipe cleaners and pom poms. Aliens are the perfect fun kids craft because they simply can’t mess up an alien. We totally make them up as we go along, using whatever we have laying around the house.

But if you want to make my alien family as shown above – keep reading!

Alien Pipe Cleaner Craft Materials List

I’ve placed a photograph next to each finger puppet with the exact materials needed for each alien. All of them require a very easy to find set of stuff:

Pipe Cleaners

Pom Poms of various sizes, and glitter pom poms are especially galactically good.

Googly Eyes of various sizes

Glue (Hot glue gun works best, but I’ve since discovered that even regular glue will suffice, it just takes longer to dry)

Wire Cutters (So you don’t ruin your scissors cutting the pipe cleaners)

Make Pipe Cleaner Aliens

Please refer to the original Easter finger puppets post for general assembly instructions. It gives general instructions on how to wind the pipe cleaners around your finger and how to attach the pom poms accurately.

And by the way, you can thank aBooks for the awesome list of alien names!

Girly Usura Pipe Cleaner Finger Puppet

Girly Usura Alien Pipe Cleaner Finger Puppet

Wind the purple finger puppet base.

Bend a piece of purple pipe cleaner as shown to make the arms. Slip it in between the base coils pushing from front to back to stick them in place.

Glue the straight long silver pipe cleaner to the front, adding two mini pink pom poms for ‘buttons’ (hey, even aliens need to suffer for fashion!).

Glue two small silver pom poms to the top of the pink pom pom as the base for the googly eyes.

Glue the googly eyes to the silver pom poms and attach the last mini pink pom pom for the nose while you are at it.

Coil the last silver pipe cleaner around a pencil to make the antenna.

Glue one end into the top of Usura’s head, and glue another purple glittery pom pom on the top to make her look pretty!

Glue the head to the body.

Kitschy Ichzo Alien Pipe Cleaner Craft

Kitschy Ichzo Alien Pipe Cleaner Craft

Evidence I can’t count: In addition to the materials shown above, I also used a small silver glitter pom pom for Ichzo’s nose.

Wind the pipe cleaner puppet base – it is very helpful with glitter pipe cleaners to use two instead of one!

Glue two dark red small pom poms to the ends of a 3 inch silver pipe cleaner for the hands and arms.

Slip the arms in between the base coils from front to back so that the arms are poking out of the back sides of the body.

Glue two medium dark red pom poms onto the large red glitter pom pom for the base of the eyes. Glue the small silver pom pom underneath them for the nose.

Slightly bend the two small pieces of blue glitter pipe cleaner and glue them onto the tops of the eyes for eyebrows (very Oscar the Grouch-ish, don’t you think?).

Glue two small googly eyes onto the two medium dark red pom poms.

Glue the head to the body.

Oh-So-Lovely Ophpha Alien Pipe Cleaner Craft

Oh-So-Lovely Ophpha Alien Pipe Cleaner Craft

More Evidence I can’t count: you only need 2 mini pink pom poms to make Ophpha, not 3. Jeesh.

Wind the pink pipe cleaner puppet base – this time twist the top coils a little bit more to make her slender neck (that’s the Oh-So-Lovely part).

Glue two mini brown pom poms to the front of her body for buttons.

Glue two glittery orange small pom poms onto the ends of two 3 inch orange pipe cleaners for the hands and arms.

Slide the arms in between the coils and bend them up and down into the shape of an “X”.

Glue the googly eye onto the small orange pom pom.

Glue two mini pink pom poms onto the ends of 1 inch silver pipe cleaners to make the antenna. Glue them to the head.

Glue the head to the body.

ZOMG George Alien Pipe Cleaner Craft

ZOMG George Alien Pipe Cleaner Craft

Coil the pipe cleaner finger puppet base. Again, when using glitter pipe cleaners, use TWO instead of one!

Glue the mini yellow pom poms onto the ends of a 4 inch green glitter pipe cleaner.

Slide it in between the body coils and bend the arms up.

Glue the small green glitter pom pom onto the middle of the large silver pom pom to make the nose.

Make zig-zag bends into two 1.5 inch bright green pieces of pipe cleaner.

Glue the googly eyes onto one end, gluing the other end into the top of the head.

Glue the head to the body.

For more fun crafts, check out these recycled crafts, teen crafts or these fairy tale crafts!

Easy Thanksgiving Kids Craft - Finger Puppets

Thanksgiving Finger Puppets Craft Materials List

I’ve placed a photograph next to each finger puppet with the exact materials needed for each Halloween Critter. All of them require a very easy to find set of stuff:

Pipe Cleaners

Pom Poms (The pumpkin puppet uses a larger pom pom than the others)

Googly Eyes

Glue (Hot glue gun works best, but I’ve since discovered that even regular glue will suffice, it just takes longer to dry)

Wire Cutters (So you don’t ruin your scissors cutting the pipe cleaners)

The pilgrim finger puppet also needs fabric paint

The Turkey and Indian need foam autumn leaves (found at Oriental Trading or offline at your local big box craft store)

How to Make Thanksgiving Finger Puppets

Please refer to the original Easter finger puppets post for general assembly instructions.

It explains the general instructions on how to wind the pipe cleaners around your finger and how to attach the pom poms accurately.

Thanksgiving Turkey Finger Puppet

Turkey Finger Puppet Craft

Pick 3-5 foam leaves and arrange them in a fan to become the turkey tail feathers. If you found foam leaf stickers, you can just adhere them that way. Otherwise glue them together as shown.

Wind the orange pipe cleaner finger puppet base.

Bend a 3 inch brown piece of pipe cleaner as shown for the turkey head and neck:

Pipe Cleaner Turkey Craft

Glue the tail feathers onto the back of the large dark red pom pom.

Glue the cut end of the brown pipe cleaner turkey neck into the front of the pom pom.

Glue the tiny bright red pom pom onto the bottom of the turkey head to make his waddle.

Glue googly eyes in place.

Glue the finished turkey to the finger puppet base.

Thanksgiving Pilgrim Finger Puppet

Pilgrim Finger Puppet

Wind the black pipe cleaner finger puppet base.

Take a full size black pipe cleaner and bend it into the shape of a pilgrim hat. This photo doesn’t help too much, but I folded the square top of the hat first, then made two tight loops for the hat brim:

Pipe Cleaner Pilgrim Hat

Use white dimensional fabric paint to paint on the hat band as shown.

Glue the hat onto the pom pom head.

Glue the googly eyes in place.

Glue the head onto the finger puppet base.

Thanksgiving Indian Finger Puppet

Thanksgiving Indian Finger Puppet

Wind the brown pipe cleaner finger puppet base.

Cut about a 2.5 inch piece of red pipe cleaner and bend it into a circle as shown.

Glue it onto the tan pom pom head.

Glue the red “feather” leaf in place on the back of the head.

Glue the googly eyes in place.

Glue the head onto the finger puppet base.

More Kids Thanksgiving Crafts and Fall Crafts

Turkey crafts for kids

Printable Thanksgiving placecards

Thanksgiving handprint crafts

Fall Acorn Crafts