Submitted by Patricia Oeste, NBCT, Conway, Arkansas
Idea posted May 13, 2003
Question: I'm doing an old version of "Elephant's Child" with 1st and 2nd grades at the end of April and am trying to find an easy elephant mask, headband, or hat idea. I don't want to cover the face, but need something for 88 1st graders that will stay on well through one practice and performance. (It also needs to be easy to make!)
Answer: I did "Animotion" once and we had elephants in that show. I ended up making trunks and ears for them. The ears were big and made of gray felt attached to a headband (easy). The trunks were more of a challenge. I cut a long tube of gray material and sewed it up lengthwise. I used black marker to indicate the wrinkles. I attached this tube to a round O about 1/2 inch thick that we cut from laminator tubes. They are incredibly sturdy. We had to cut them with an electric saw! I wrapped the material around it and hot-glued it into place. Then, we added elastic (the really thin type) to the O ring to go around the head. The trunks hung down and were really cute.
I don't think it was TOO much work. Oh, yes, I stuffed them with tissue paper to make them fuller. I also added "trunk" choreography, which was quite funny!