Skip to main content

How to make a hedgehog hoopla



Here's a great hedgehog craft that you and the kids can make together! Adult supervision is required, but it's ideal for older kids and younger children will love to help paint. You can make use of any old cardboard boxes you have, and the colour scheme is up to you! I just used whatever paint colours I had in the shed.

Tools:
  • Cardboard-  you want it to be quite sturdy so that your hog doesn't flop over!
  • Paint- choose any colours you have available
  • Scissors- ADULT SUPERVISION REQUIRED
  • Hoops/Pipe cleaners/florist wire/twine

Step 1:
Draw a rough outline of your hedgehog onto the card. Mine was approximately two ft by two ft.


Step 2:
Once you are happy with your hog's shape, cut out the body and feet. This can be a bit tricky, especially around the spikes, so you may want to ask an adult for help.


Step 3:
Cut out slots in the middle of both feet and at the bottom of the body. The slots are approximately two and a half inches long- you may need to cut out a wedge of cardboard to get it to slot in. 



Step 4:
Paint your hog!


Step 5:
Whilst it's drying, you can make the hoops. Pipe cleaners will make an easy job of this, but as there were none available, I wrapped twine around florist wire and bent into shape. 



 You want to make sure your hoops aren't too small to fit over the spikes, but also not too big that they won't catch on to the spikes.

Step 6:
Enjoy!


 

This was my first attempt after making the hoopla (*cue shocked reaction*)

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Lockdown Litter Pick Challenge

T he University of Birmingham is taking part in the Hog-Friendly lockdown litter pick challenge! From 2nd November until 18th December 2020, the Hedgehog Friendly Campus campaign are holding a UK-wide competition to find out which university can collect the most litter in and around the local community.  The winning university receives a free Hedgehog House complete with a bag of hedgehog food for their campus! All participants (whether from the winning team or not) will also receive a digital certificate from us in recognition of their efforts. Why is litter bad for hedgehogs? The RSPCA receives over 5000 calls a year regarding litter  That’s an average of roughly 14 calls every day!   Everyday objects that seem perfectly safe, can sadly become hazardous when found accidentally by animals. By disposing our rubbish safely instead of littering, we are making choices that could save many lives . Hedgehogs are covered in thousands of spines which makes them vulnerable to bec...

Making a feeding station

Strange times are upon us! The UK has been in lockdown since last Monday and we are still getting used to not being able to go out whenever we like and the supermarket shelves being bare. But nature is carrying on business as usual! Birds flitting about foraging for nesting materials for impending eggs, lolling queen bumblebees looking for nest sites and hibernating hedgehogs are waking up as the temperatures rise, looking to fatten up after winter.  An easy way to help hedgehogs post winter sleep, is to feed them cat/dog food and provide plenty of water. In order to stop hungry foxes and pesky cats from stealing your hedgehog's food, you can build a feeding station. It doesn't have to be anything fancy and can be made with things you may already have in your garden or shed.  1. You can use old bricks to make a base. Just make sure it's big enough for a hog to get in and out of, and ensure that the entrance is 13cm x 13cm. 2. You can make a lid ou...

Hedgehog rescue!

On 25 th July 2019 (the hottest day of the year!) four hoglets were found out in the sun by the Overbury construction site compound outside the Medical School (where we had seen ‘Shelley’ the hedgehog’s footprints during our survey). At first only two were seen by a member of staff. Around an hour later the Overbury workers found two more hoglets in their compound. They were taken to the Orchard Veterinary Centre in Harbourne, one recommended by BHPS. Two of the hoglets were named Branston and Pickle by the member of staff who had found them, and the other two were named Michelle and Sheldon by the Overbury workers. We had received reports of a dead hedgehog on the road by Vincent Drive a week prior to the hoglet rescue. We thought this might be ‘Shelley’ the Overbury works hedgehog, so we put out the survey tunnels and a trail camera but had no sightings. So we believe that these were Shelley’s litter of babies, and when the temperature had become incredibly hot, they ca...