Pipe Cleaner Gymnasts
Each figure uses five pipe cleaners, one for each arm and leg and one to make the body and neck. Leave about 3 cm of one pipe cleaner for a neck and twist about 4 cm of another downwards onto the first to fasten one arm onto the body. Make a shoulder of about 2 cm and turn the end 2 cm up to make the hand. Repeat this on the other side to make the other armÑthe drawing will help you to see what to do. For the legs put the remaining two pipe cleaners side by side and twist together about 3 cm at one end. From this join open out the legs to form the hips and turn up the end 2 cm of each to make the feet. Join the legs at a point about 6 cm below the shoulders. Twist the extra length of pipe cleaner from the body round the top of each leg and then wind the twists from the legs and the body together.
Small polystyrene balls make good heads but if you cannot find any make balls from paper tissue handkerchiefs. Tear part of a tissue into small pieces and roll them in your hand to form a loose ball. Wrap this in the middle of a small sheet of tissue and twist the ends to make a ball. Tie tightly with a piece of thread and cut off the surplus tissue. To make the eyes and mouth cut out small circles of coloured sticky paper, (a paper punch cuts these out neatly) and stick them on to the face. Hair can be made from wool by winding it round a piece of card about 3 cm wide. Cut through all the strands and then tie the bundle together in the middle and spread out the loose ends. Glue the hair on top of the head. You can make the figures stand upright by pinning them to a board with drawing pins through their feet, or the figures can be bent into gymnastic positions as shown in the drawings.
