Make the Blue Peter presenter puppets

Ever wanted to put on your own Blue Peter show? Well, now you can with your own handmade presenter puppets!

Cut the triangular dividers out of the egg box. Each will form the body of one puppet. Decide what clothes you want your puppet to wear and paint your egg box triangle in your chosen style.

Paint one paper straw the colour you want the arms to be and one the colour you want the legs to be.

If you don't have any paper straws, you can make your own by cutting a 5cm strip from the short edge of plain or coloured paper. Roll your strip into a tight roll and secure with glue – easy!

While the body dries, make your puppet head! Draw your puppet face onto a plain piece of paper and colour it in, then cut it out and stick it onto thin card. Once stuck to card, cut out again.

Once the paint has dried on your body and legs, use small strips of coloured paper and felt tips to add extra details such as collars, pockets, and Blue Peter badges. Then draw four hand shapes onto card or paper and cut them out.

With help from a grown-up, use a sharp pencil to pierce a hole on either side of the body section of your puppet, roughly where the shoulders should be.

Now it's time to create puppet's arms. Take your long piece of string and push it through each hole, so the body sits roughly in the middle. 

TOP TIP: Put tape around the end of the string to make it easier to thread through.

Grab your arm coloured paper straw and cut out four short lengths, about 2.5cm long.

Thread two arm pieces onto one side of the arm string. Cut the tape off the end of the string. Sandwich the string between two hand pieces, and stick down with glue.

Pull the string through from the other side of the body (the armless side), so the two arm pieces and the hand are bunched together nicely.

Thread the remaining two arm straws onto the arm string. Push them all the way up to the shoulder, then glue on the hand as close to the arm straws as you can. Cut the end of the string and attach and the hand piece with glue, sandwiching the string as before.

Let’s make the legs! Cut a length of string and tie a knot in one end. If you have a bead, thread it onto the string. No bead? Don't worry! Just roll up some tin foil around the end of the string and squeeze it into a shoe shape.

Next, grab your painted leg straw and cut two lengths of about 6cm, (if you want your puppet to have shorter legs, just cut shorter straws!) Thread one leg piece onto the string. Trim the string leaving about 2cm of length above the leg piece, and tape to the inside of your egg box body. Repeat this step to make the other leg and tape in place.

Your puppet is about to take shape!

With help from a grown-up, carefully use the wooden skewer to pierce through the very top of your egg box body. Push it through until the end of the skewer is easily accessible. Wrap an elastic band around the end - this part can be fiddly, but don't give up!

Pull the skewer upwards until the elastic band sits just under the neck. This will stop your puppet from falling off your stick. Next add your puppet head! Use tape to attach your head to the wooden skewer, leaving a small gap for a neck.

Wrap a small strip of double-sided tape to the end of a new wooden skewer and stick it to the back of one of the hands. This will give you control over one hand to help you puppeteer your character.

Don’t have double-sided tape? Fold a small piece of sticky tape (masking tape works best) onto itself to create a little sticky loop.

And there you have it, an amazing Blue Peter presenter of your own design, which presenter did you make?

You didn’t think we’d forget our very loud and lovable mutt Henry, did you? Have a look at our step-by-step instructions and make a Henry puppet to the Blue Peter puppet family.

Got your puppets ready? Hang on, what about Henry? Of course we haven't missed him out...check out Henry the puppet! Now its time to create the Blue Peter puppet theatre and become director for the day!

What would your dream episode of Blue Peter look like? You could set challenges for the presenters, you could break world records, meet amazing animals or pop stars! Whatever you decide we’d love to see it, so make sure to send us a video or photo of your finished masterpiece and it could be featured on the telly.