Recycling paper for kids: Cardboard Tube Bunny Rabbit Family

Ahh bunnies! They’re so cute, and cuddly, and colorful… ? Well, these are anyway! It doesn’t have to be Easter to make some cute bunnies, but their pretty colors remind me of jelly beans! Using cardboard tubes from paper towels or bathroom tissue, you can make this fun and bright family of bunny rabbits with your kids!

Some people are uncomfortable using bathroom tissue rolls, especially those in a day care setting. Paper towel cardboard tubes are the same diameter, just longer, and work equally well. You can simplify your bunnies depending on the age group of your children. To simplify some of these steps, skip the apron on mama bunny and the buttons on daddy, and you can also use pink felt triangles (or construction paper) for the noses. Wiggle eyes will work too instead of marker. I do use a hot glue gun in this project, so please supervise children closely or use a quick drying glue such as Beacon’s instant grab glue.

Cardboard Tube Bunny Rabbit Family
printable version

3 cardboard toilet paper tubes
1 cardboard paper towel tube
7 miniature pink and/or orange pom-poms
felt in various colors for bow ties and hair bows
hot glue gun
black Sharpie marker
scissors
white, orange and green felt for apron (optional)
2 buttons (optional)

Paint (I used the following Folk Art colors, you can use whatever type of acrylic craft paint you prefer):

Pink Melon (dark pink)
Medium Orange (bright orange)
Pink Balloon (light pink)
Medium Blue (bright light blue)
Daffodil Yellow (bright yellow)
Purple Lilac (light purple)
Lime Green (bright light green)

Cut the cardboard tubes as follows. You will end up with 5 baby bodies, 2 adult bodies and 14 ears.

Paper towel tube – Cut a 4.5″ piece for dad, a 4″ piece for mom and five 1/2″ ears.
Toilet tube #1 – Cut two 1.5″ bodies and two 1/2″ ears.
Toilet tube #2 - Cut two 1.5″ bodies and two 1/2″ ears.
Toilet tube #3 – Cut one 1.5″ body and five 1/2″ ears.

Paint each tube, inside and out, and a set of ears to go with each body.

Run a line of hot glue inside the ear and squeeze it closed to flatten it.

Use scissors to trim tops of ears to make them pointy.

Hot glue the ears to the top inside of the cardboard tube body.

Use pink paint to paint a line on each ear.

Glue on mini pom-pom noses and cut bows from felt and attach. For girls, attach bows up by the ears and for boys at the bottom front of the body.

Use Sharpie to add eyes and whiskers.

If you like, cut a simple apron from white felt for the mom. Cut out a small carrot from orange and green felt and glue to the apron. Glue apron in place. Glue 2 buttons to the front of the dad.