In an attempt to get a break from their strict schedule on the farm, Shaun the Sheep and his flock orchestrate a carefully laid plan to lull the farmer to sleep so they can put their feet up for the day. But as it often happens with so many well laid plans, things go awry, and before they know it, Shaun is on his way into The Big City to rescue the farmer, who sustained a bump to the head and suffered memory loss. Shaun’s flock soon follow and hijinks ensue, including a failed fine dining experience, short stay in animal containment, and the farmer’s faithful dog ending up in a hospital operating room dressed as a surgeon and being handed a scalpel. Needless to say, it ends up being anything but a day off!
Shaun the Sheep has no dialogue – well, unless you speak fluent sheep – but is far from a “silent” movie. The humor is slapstick style and silly at times, which makes it perfect for audiences of all ages. The music is perfectly layered over just a few parts of the movie, so as not to take away from the story. And the fast moving story line keeps this movie from dragging on past it’s target audience’s attention span (it’s just under 90 minutes long). This movie is simple and unique and perfect for everyone, big and small. It’s fantasy at it’s very best.
Just when you thought summer movie season was over, Shaun the Sheep delivers the ultimate summer family film. In fact, if you’ve been hesitating on whether your child is the right age to go to the movies, Shaun the Sheep is the perfect first movie. My 4 year old, who regularly asks questions during movies (we’re working on it, I promise), didn’t have any questions during this movie. Both my girls thoroughly enjoyed Shaun the Sheep and left the theater singing along with the movie’s theme song.
They actually liked it so much that they wanted to see it again, but since that wasn’t possible, I decided to do one better – a Shaun the Sheep craft! The results were pretty cute and they were very easy to make. Here’s how you can make your own Shaun the Sheep!
You will need:
Cardboard toilet paper roll tubes
White paint
12″ Pipe cleaner, black
Cotton balls
Black stiff felt (Construction paper or foam would also work)
Googily eyes
School glue
Hot glue
Step 1 – Paint your toilet paper roll tube white and allow to dry completely. This step is not necessary if you’re working with older kids, who will know how to cover the entire tube with cotton, but for younger kids this is a must, and will serve to fill in the spaces they don’t cover with cotton.
Step 2 – Fold the black pipe cleaner in half and cut at the mid-point. The fold half of the pipe cleaner in half again, and hot glue the point to the toilet paper roll. Do the same thing with the other half of the pipe cleaner, hot gluing it 1 1/2 – 2 inches from the first pipe cleaner. Unfortunately school glue isn’t strong enough so it won’t hold the legs in place, making this a parent step.
Step 3 – Using a foam or paint brush, coat the outside of the toilet paper tube with school glue and then cover in cotton balls. My girls just took handfuls of cotton balls and pasted them on in no particular order, while I made sure to keep my cotton balls uniform in design. Either way, your Shaun will turn out adorable!
Step 4 – Cut an oval out of the stiff felt, along with 2 small ears. Glue the ears and eyes to the oval using school glue. To make a true Shaun the Sheep, glue a small bit of cotton right at the top of his head for his hair. We skipped this step with one of our sheep because my girls said that Shaun needed a friend.
Tip: If you have kids under the age of 5, I’d highly recommend cutting the felt pieces yourself before you begin this craft. Things tend to deteriorate in my house when my 4 year old starts to cut, so to avoid any snags, I had precut pieces available. I know it takes a little bit of planning, but this craft went so much smoother than most because I took the extra time to have all the pieces ready.
Step 5 – Cover the ends of the toilet paper roll with cotton balls (this will require a good bit of glue) and then hot glue the face on to one of the ends. Again, a parental step, but it will hold a whole lot better than school glue.
Once you’ve made your own Shaun the Sheep, share it on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram! And make sure to keep your flock free of boredom by taking them to see Shaun the Sheep in theaters Wednesday, August 5th! See ewe at the theater!
This is a great project to keep little hands busy. Nice!!