Finished popsicle stick scarecrow

Popsicle Stick Scarecrow Craft for Kids

An Easy Fall Activity for Ages 4 and Up

It’s fall, y’all! Time to break out the craft sticks, get a little messy, and make the cutest little scarecrow you’ve ever seen! This popsicle stick scarecrow craft for kids is one of our favorite fall activities. It’s easy, inexpensive, and every single one turns out differently, which makes it extra special. No two scarecrows are the same, just like the kids who make them!

Using just a handful of basic supplies, your little one will engineer and design their very own scarecrow from scratch. This craft is perfect for ages 4 and up and makes a wonderful at-home fall activity, classroom project, or fall party craft. The finished scarecrows are adorable enough to display as fall decorations too!

VOCABULARY

  • Scarecrow: A figure set up in a field or garden to scare away birds and protect crops. Farmers have been using scarecrows for thousands of years to keep birds from eating their seeds and harvest!

  • Harvest: The process of gathering crops that have grown and ripened. Fall is the main harvest season in many parts of the world, when farmers collect pumpkins, corn, apples, and so much more!

  • Engineer: Someone who designs and builds things to solve a problem. When we plan and build our scarecrow from individual parts, we are thinking like engineers!

GUIDING QUESTIONS

  • What will your scarecrow’s face be like? Happy, silly, spooky, or friendly?

  • What do you think farmers grow in the fall?

  • What foods do you love that come from a farm?

MATERIALS

  • 5 jumbo craft sticks (popsicle sticks)

  • 1 small square of cardboard

  • Glue

  • Craft felt or foam for the hat and nose

  • Raffia (you can also cut up pieces of brown construction paper)

  • 2 googly eyes

  • Black marker

  • Flower stickers or other decorative stickers (optional, for the hat)

DIRECTIONS

STEP 1

Apply glue to the cardboard and press the 5 popsicle sticks firmly down, making sure they’re flush against each other. Let the glue set for a few minutes before moving on. This is the base structure of your scarecrow’s face!

Glue 5 popsicle sticks to a small piece of cardboard

STEP 2

Apply glue across the top of the popsicle sticks and press a generous handful of raffia (or strips of paper) down onto the glue, letting the strands hang messily over the edges in every direction. Let it dry before adding the hat.

Add hair to scarecrow

STEP 3

Cut your craft felt or foam rectangle into a hat shape! Glue the small strip across the hat as a hat band. Add flower stickers, polka dots, or any other decorations you like to make your scarecrow’s hat unique. Then glue it on top of the “hair”.

Decorate your scarecrow's hat

STEP 4

Now for the most fun part, the face! Glue two googly eyes onto the upper section of the popsicle sticks. Glue the small foam triangle below the eyes as the nose. Then use your marker or crayon to draw a smile. Your popsicle stick scarecrow craft is complete!

Add facial features to your scarecrow