Chester the Raccoon Envelope Puppet Craft -

One of my favorite books to read to my students on the first day of school is The Kissing Hand by Audrey Penn. The main character, Chester the Raccoon is scared about starting school for the first time and doesn’t want to go. Mrs. Raccoon shares a family secret called the Kissing Hand to reassure him of her love any time he feels nervous or frightened. After reading this sweet story, we talk about how we felt about coming to school and that we can all feel differently. Then, we create this fun and simple Chester the Raccoon Envelope Puppet Craft. Be sure to check out all of our back to school activities and resources!

Watch Chester the Raccoon Envelope Puppet Craft

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Materials Needed For The Chester the Raccoon Envelope Puppet Craft:

Doing The Chester the Raccoon Envelope Puppet Craft:

To begin this craft, the children will fold about one-fourth of the envelope over and make a crease. They will open the fold up, fold the two corners into a point, and glue the corners in place.

Next, the children will cut two small triangles out of the white construction paper and glue them on the top of the envelope for the raccoon’s ears.

They will then paint the envelope with the grey paint. If you don’t have grey paint, mix one part black paint with two parts white paint.

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After the paint dries, they will cut a long, thin rectangle out of the black construction paper and glue it across the triangle.

The children will also cut two small triangles out the black paper and glue them on the raccoon’s ears.

Next, they will glue the googly eyes on the black rectangle. They will also glue the black pom pom on the point of the triangle for the raccoon’s nose.

The children will then cut a heart out of the red construction paper and glue it the middle of envelope. As an option, they can write on the heart how they felt on the first day of school.

Finally, they will cut the bottom of the envelope to turn their craft into a puppet.

Throughout the school year, my students love to reread The Kissing Hand and act out the story using this easy-to-make Chester the Raccoon Envelope Puppet Craft.