San Antonio Express-News

Friends, family will be tickled pink to receive this handmade flamingo card

- By Ingrid Wilgen STAFF WRITER ingrid.wilgen @express-news.net

Did you know that flamingos are born with gray feathers? Their food gives the birds their distinct pink color as they get older.

Here is a handprint flamingo card you can make; it’s adapted from an activity created by San Antonio Zoo. Go to the San Antonio Zoo’s YouTube channel to discover this and other “Zoo it Yourself” activities.

What you need

You will need three pink paper sheets and one sheet of yellow paper; scissors; a pencil; black and pink markers; and a glue stick to make this flamingo card.

What to do

Put two sheets of pink paper together, then fold them in half. Using the pencil, trace your hand, making sure your thumb is along the fold line.

Cut out the handprint; take care that you do not cut through the folded edge by your thumb as this is the card’s hinge. Now you have a pair of folding handprint cards. Place one card within the other, offsetting them so the flamingo shows off all its finger feathers. Next, glue the inside of the top-card hand palms to the outside of the inner palms. On the third sheet of pink paper, draw two backward s-like lines parallel to each other, creating the bird’s neck. Draw a small circle at the top of the neck for the head. Cut out the neck and head.

Now it is time to draw the flamingo’s legs. Draw two straight lines parallel to each other, forming a long rectangle for the flamingo’s front leg. Cut out the leg shape.

When drawing the bent back leg, create a wide “V” compliment­ary to the front leg. Cut out the v-shaped back leg. Paste the headneck assembly and legs to the lower outside of the flamingo’s handprint body. Draw a beak on the yellow paper, cut it out, and paste it in place. You now have a flamingo card to share with a friend.

 ??  ?? Draw and cut out the flamingo’s legs
Draw and cut out the flamingo’s legs
 ?? Photos courtesy San Antonio Zoo ?? Cut out the handprint. Be careful to not cut through the folded edge by your thumb as this is the card’s hinge.
Photos courtesy San Antonio Zoo Cut out the handprint. Be careful to not cut through the folded edge by your thumb as this is the card’s hinge.
 ??  ?? Finally, share your handprint flamingo card with a friend.
Finally, share your handprint flamingo card with a friend.

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