Elephant Glove

Supplies:

• 1 medical grade glove, any color

**If you have a latex allergy, be sure to use a latex-free glove**

• Dark colored marker

• Tape

Whether or not you have seen or felt a medical glove, this activity is a great way to get more comfortable with one. Most adults (usually doctors, nurses, or dentists) use them to keep their hands safe from germs, but today you will use them to play with! You can add it to your collection of toys as a new friend to play with or show it off to all your friends. And later, if you happen to go to the doctor or dentist and see them put on a pair of gloves, you’ll know just how they will feel and what they are used for!

Before you start this activity, be sure you have an adult nearby to help if you get stuck!

Step 1: First we will blow air into the glove. Lay your glove flat on the table with the fingers facing away from you. The opening of the glove is a bit too big to blow air into it. To fix that, I will pinch the opening together to make it smaller. Place your thumb on one side of the opening and place your pointer finger on the other side of the opening. Pinch your fingers together so they are close together. Hold the glove tight between those two fingers and bring it up to your mouth. Relax your fingers just a little bit so the air can flow into the gloves. Take a big breath and blow into the glove until it is filled up with air. Once it is full, pinch your fingers together as tight as you can so the air doesn’t escape.

Step 2: Next, you need to close the top of your glove so no air can leak out. This is a part where you might want an adult to help you! Get a piece of tape ready, stick it to the side of your table so it’s ready when you need it. With the end of the glove pinched between your fingers, twist the glove 4 times using your other hand (Tip: don’t let go of the glove with either hand or it will unravel). Wrap a piece of tape tightly around the part of the glove that is spun really tight. Before you let go with the hand that is holding the top of the glove closed, pinch the tape to double check that is tight enough. Now your glove is shut! This part can be very tricky, so try not to feel discouraged if you are having trouble. If you accidentally let the air out of your glove, just let go and start over at step 1!

Step 3: Now that you have your glove blown up, we need to make the legs for the elephant. Hold the glove so that the fingers are facing up at you and the thumb is facing away. It might be helpful to gently hold it steady between your legs for this step, but don’t squeeze your legs together too tight or the glove might pop! If that is too tricky, ask an adult to hold it for you. Hold the two fingers that are farthest away from you, one in each hand (Hint: we will not be using the thumb finger of the glove in this step, just the four fingers facing towards you). With those two fingers in your hands gently pull the back finger so that it is right next to the front finger. You will be tying these two fingers together in a knot. To do this, cross one finger over the other so they look like an X. Next, use the finger that is in front of the other finger and bend it back to poke it through the bottom of the X. Pull the finger that you poked through the bottom nice and tight so each finger is now pointing away from each other. Let go of the fingers and now you have the front two legs!

Tip: If you have trouble getting the legs tied after the glove is blown up, you can tie them before blowing air into the glove. You will follow the same steps I gave above if you are tying the glove without the air.

Step 4: Next you will tie the back legs using the last two fingers. Keep the glove between your legs, being careful not to squeeze too tight. Hold the second two fingers closest to you, one in each hand. With those two fingers in your hands gently pull the back finger so that it is right next to the front finger. You will be tying these two fingers together in a knot. To do this, cross one finger over the other so they look like an X. Next, use the finger that is in front of the other finger and bend it back to poke it through the bottom of the X. Pull the finger that you poked through the bottom nice and tight so each finger is now pointing away from each other. Let go of the fingers and now you have the back two legs!

Step 5: Now that the hard parts are done, we will need to draw a happy face onto our elephant! Using the marker, I will draw eyes, ears, and a mouth. (Tip: Be very gentle when drawing. If you press too hard with the marker, you could pop the glove). Lay your glove on the table with the fingers facing you and the thumb facing left. The thumb will be the elephant’s long trunk. Because that is his trunk, we have to draw an eye and an ear on either side of his head. At the point where the thumb connects to your hand, draw a round eye. Right next to it, draw a big half circle, it should look like a backward C. You want the open part of the C to be facing the trunk.

Step 6: Flip your elephant over so the side without the eyes and ear you just drew is facing you. Again, draw a round eye at the point where the thumb connects to the hand. Next to that draw a half circle, on this side of the elephant it will look like a regular C. Be sure to have the opening facing the trunk! Now that your elephant has eyes and ears, we need to add a mouth. An elephant’s mouth is actually under its trunk. Hold your glove so that the thumb is now facing you. Underneath the thumb, in that tiny little space, draw a mouth. I just did a little happy smile on my elephant, but you can draw whatever mouth you would like.

Tip: If you have extra gloves and would like to make another kind of animal, you can try using construction paper, googly eyes, or other crafting supplies to make the next animal different. You could add extra detail to your elephant or you could try to make a turkey!

This activity is a really fun way to explore a glove you might not be too familiar with or comfortable with. Because it’s not something that you will see all the time, it can seem a little uncomfortable when you do. If you are heading to the doctor or dentist, hold your elephant in the car to get ready for your appointment! And when you’re just at home, he makes a wonderful playmate! You can even name yours if you’d like, mine is named Ellie.

~ Made By: Emily H.