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9 Oct 2023

Bright-eyed and bushy-tailed: squirrel craft

A collage-style picture of a red squirrel, made from orange paper and using dried red/orange autumn leaves for its large tail. Surrounding the picture are slender twigs and clusters of autumn leaves, creating a natural frame.
Red squirrel with a leafy tail
It’s time to get artistic and create this beautiful red squirrel, just like the ones you might spot in some of our countryside places. Fallen rowan leaves are ideal for its bushy tail.

You will need:

  • Brown, red or orange paper or card
  • Plain white paper or card (you could use the back of a cereal box)
  • A pair of scissors
  • Glue
  • Some small red leaves, which have been dried
  • A pencil and marker pen
Two sheets of paper (one orange, one cream) lie on top of each other on a table. A pair of scissors, a pile of dried autumn leaves, a pencil and a black marker pen are arranged on top of the paper.

Step 1

Draw the outline of a squirrel – excluding the tail – onto the coloured paper, and ask an adult to help you cut this out. You can see some great photos of red squirrels on our Autumn Wildlife page. Add additional details like eyes, nose and mouth with a pen or pencil.

Step 2

Glue your squirrel to the plain paper or card, leaving plenty of room for a tail. You may want to draw a faint outline of where the tail should go.

The outline of a squirrel's body is drawn in pencil on a sheet of orange paper. A pencil and a pair of scissors lie beside the drawing. A squirrel's body, sitting upright, has been cut out of orange paper and glued onto a cream sheet of paper. The body is outlined in black pen, and its eye has been marked. A faint pencil outline of a bushy tail has been added to the cream paper.

Step 3

Lay out your leaves in the shape of the squirrel’s tail. Take your time to make the tail nice and bushy.

Step 4

Once you’re happy with your squirrel’s tail, loosely glue down each leaf and leave to dry.

A squirrel's body, sitting upright, has been cut out of orange paper and glued onto a cream sheet of paper. The body is outlined in black pen, and its eye has been marked. A faint pencil outline of a bushy tail has been added to the cream paper. Some dried autumn leaves have been arranged in this area. A larger pile lie beside the drawing. A squirrel's body, sitting upright, has been cut out of orange paper and glued onto a cream sheet of paper. The body is outlined in black pen, and its eye has been marked. Some dried autumn leaves have been glued down to form a bushy tail. A small bottle of white PVA glue lies at the edge of the artwork.

Don’t forget to show off your results!

Ask an adult to help you share pics on Instagram, tagging @nationaltrustforscotland

Red squirrel jumping across a tree in Crathes Castle Estate

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