Make the cutest monkey puppets, from mushroom spore prints! Fun science craft idea kids can make, and learn about mushroom biology at the same time.
Do you remember when we first tried making a mushroom spore print, using a large field mushroom? I thought we could try this again, using little button mushrooms this time, and use the spore prints to make a cute monkey science craft!
Suitable for
I think this would a fun craft for school-aged kids (say, the 5-9 year old age group). Although, having said that, my 4.5 year old daughter loved helping with this, so maybe this craft could work for some preschoolers too…
How to make Mushroom Monkeys
(We used items from our craft stash, however I’ve included affiliate links* to similar items below. Thanks for your support!)
You need:
- button mushrooms, chopping board, knife
- white construction paper (or other thicker/sturdier paper)
- pipettes (optional, but my kids think using pipettes is fun!)
- a box to cover the mushroom caps overnight
- craft sticks
- clear-drying glue
- scissors, markers, googly eyes (optional), white dot stickers (optional)
What to do
- Slice the lower portion from the button mushrooms, to expose the gills.
- Put the mushroom caps onto a piece of white construction paper, gill-side down.
- Add a drop of water to each mushroom cap.
- Cover and leave undisturbed overnight.
- Remove the mushroom caps to reveal your spore prints!
- Spray with hairspray to set the prints (otherwise they can smudge)
- Cut out each print. Draw on a cute monkey face (or use googly eyes / white dot stickers if you like).
- Glue your monkey face onto a craft stick.
- Play with your new monkey puppets!
I’ve made a quick video showing how we made our mushroom monkeys. I hope you like it!
Fun mushroom facts
Mushrooms are part of a larger group of organisms known as fungi. Fungi are more closely related to animals than to plants. (Plants need sunlight
Most fungi reproduce by releasing tiny spores that then germinate (sprout) and grow into a new fungus.
Mushroom spores are tiny, and can only be seen individually with a microscope. On a mature mushroom, thousands of spores can grow on just one gill!
Different mushrooms have different coloured spores, Mushroom spores can be white, brown, black, or many shades in between!
Find more information about making spore prints from different types of mushrooms here.
Please note…
All kids’ activities on this blog require attentive adult supervision. Parents and carers will need to judge whether a particular activity is appropriate their child’s age and skill level.
All sorts of mushrooms can create spore prints, BUT some mushrooms are poisonous. Because you’re creating a toy that will be played with afterwards, I recommend against using wild-picked mushrooms for this activity.
You can find more fun ideas on our science craft or biology activities pages, including:
- how to make bi-coloured flowers
- how to make an articulated hand model
You might also like to follow our Go Science Kids and Fun Science for Kids boards on Pinterest.
And, of course, you can always subscribe to our newsletter, to receive all our latest activities straight in your Inbox. We’d love to have you join us!
* This post contains affiliate link(s). An affiliate link means I may earn referral / advertising fees if you make a purchase through my link, without any extra cost to you. These fees help keep this blog afloat. Thank you for your support!