I have a cute but simple tutorial to show you how to make a pipe cleaner monkey with just a couple of basic craft items. Also, look at my page Rainforest Activities for Kids for more animal crafts and activities.
You will only need a few pipe cleaners, a couple of wooden beads, and some paint to make your own.
Besides, you can make any kind of monkey you like using this tutorial, changing up paint colors and features.
We made a howler monkey to go along with the rest of the themed ideas here.
Howler Monkeys are a tropical species of monkeys that live in both lowland and mountain habitats.
For example, they live in the rainforests of Brazil, Costa Rica, Ecuador, and Columbia, as well as throughout South and Central America.
Their loud howls can be heard up to 3 miles away, so it’s no wonder where they got that name from.
But our little pipe cleaner monkey is quiet and well-behaved.
Howler Monkey Books
Add some of these books and resources to your reading day.
6 Books & Resources for Kids Who love Howler Monkeys
Your kids will love some of these fun resources about howler monkeys.
Howler monkeys are named for their distinctive calls, which they let loose at dawn and at dusk. This informative resource doesn’t monkey around in describing what howlers like to eat and where they live. The volume includes an explanation of howler monkey group behavior as well as an examination of efforts being made to preserve their endangered populations.
Our Howler Monkey figurine is designed with remarkable accuracy, showcasing the creature's distinctive features and vibrant coloring.
Don't tell these howler monkeys to pipe down — they're considered to be among the loudest animals on Earth. They won't quiet down unless they're sleeping, which they do about 15 hours a day.
Questions and answers explore the world of New World monkeys, with an emphasis on howler monkeys.
Playful, poetic text and vibrant art introduce young readers to howler monkeys. Extra facts within the text give readers the low-down on these loud, sloppy, and rude rain forest dwellers.
How about this Howler Monkey Craft?
Next, add some of these facts.
Zoology of The Howler Monkey
Next, have your child write out the classifications of the howler monkey, look below.
- Kingdom: Animalia
- Phylum: Chordata
- Class: Mammalia
- Order: Primates
- Family: Atelidae
- Genus: Alouatta
- Scientific Name: Alouatta
Howler monkeys are made up of 15 different species.
- Colombian red howler
- Black howler
- Yucatán black howler
- Mantled howler monkey
- Brown howler
- Red-handed howler
- Maranhão red-handed howler
- Bolivian red howler
- Guyana red howler
- Ursine howler
- Coiba Island howler
- Amazon black howler
- Spix’s red-handed howler
- Purus red howler
- Juruá red howler
Also, here are some facts about howler monkeys.
6 Facts About Howler Monkeys
- Howler Monkeys are both the largest and the most abundant monkeys in the world with the Guatemalan Howler Monkey being the biggest of all the New World monkeys.
- They get their name from the howling sound that they make and are known as one of the loudest land mammals due to the special bone, the hyoid, in their throat that helps them make louder calls. Only the males make these sounds, never females. You can listen to those loud sounders here in the World’s Loudest Animals: Howler Monkeys.
- Their long, strong prehensile tales can be up to five times the length of their body, anywhere from 20”- to 30” long.
- 9 out of 15 species of the Howler Monkey make their home in the Amazon.
- Howler monkeys usually live in troupes of up to 15 males and females with a dominant member of each sex.
- An unusual thing about them is that both male and female juveniles will leave the group they were born in and join up with a new group, so most spend the adult portion of their life in a group they are not related to.
This little Howler Monkey Figurine is a great addition to blocks, and sensory bins, and can be used to create a tropical diorama as well.
How To Make A Pipe Cleaner Monkey
What You Will Need:
- 4 brown pipe cleaners
- 2 wood beads
- 2 smaller wooden beads
- 2 googly eyes
- Brown craft paint
- Small paint brushes or fine-tip paint pens
- Hot glue gun/sticks.
First slip beads over a skewer and paint them brown or whatever color you like). You will probably need a second coat before letting it dry completely.
Lay one pipe cleaner vertically and twist another one across it horizontally about 2” from the top to give your monkey arms.
Slide one painted bead from the bottom.
Twist another pipe cleaner horizontally across just below the bead to hold it in place and make back legs.
Now, double over the tail, arms, and legs, twisting together, and bend the ends into hands and feet.
Cut off all but 1” of the neck, bend it over, then twist.
Cut 4 1” lengths from the 4th pipe cleaner and bend into a v, then twist around the feet and hands.
Slip the head onto the neck you cut and hold it in place with a dab of hot glue inside.
Once dry, take a tiny brush or paint marker and add features like eyes, a nose and a howling mouth.
Use a tiny bit of hot glue to add google eyes as well.
Finally, your monkey is ready to shape and bend, he can even hang from pretty much anything you want to hang him from with his little prehensile pipe cleaner tail.
Have fun creating a whole troupe of monkeys to hang all around, thankfully these monkeys stay quiet!
