How to Create a Baby Elephant Gift Card…

Teach your child about animal conservation while creating this fun and colorful 3-D gift card…

Why is it important to protect baby elephants and their mothers?

Besides the fact that baby elephants are cute, does the environment really need elephants? …and why should we care?

Elephants are important to the earth’s ecosystem…

The ecosystem can be thought of as a complex machine that performs vital functions for all of us. These functions are important for both humans and animals. The whole ecosystem needs animals as much as they need it.  For example, forests and grasslands cool the planet, clean the air, and create rain clouds.

Why are elephants important?

Elephants are the largest mammals in Asia and Africa. Because of this they play a unique and irreplaceable role.  Here’s why…

First, not only do these elephants dig wells to get mineral rich water, but they leave behind footprints which can fill with water. This helps other small animals to access the same scarce resources. At the same time, these actions create micro-habitats for other small creatures such as Black Frogs that can lay eggs in the water. In fact, a single elephant footprint can turn into a miniature world full of life.

Second, elephants must eat, and they eat a lot. While grazing they are moving across their habitat, often eating about 18 to 20 hours per day. They can eat just about any plants, even ones with thorns.  

Elephants eat a lot of different grasses, leaves and branches, fruits and tree saplings and bark.  They can strip the bark off a tree, which eventually might kill the tree. This might sound destructive but realise that a dead tree also makes a good home for other animals like birds that like to nest in the hollows.

Third…Because of their large size, elephants make short work of large fruit with shells that are difficult to crack, and other animals benefit from the fruits that drop on the ground as elephants are foraging.

And finally, the plants themselves benefit because elephants are gardeners, and they deposit manure behind them.  In fact, elephants produce a lot of dung, which is important to the ecosystem. The dung protects and holds grass and plant seeds in a rich manure environment which allows these seeds to germinate. These plants and grasses grow and replenish the environment. 

So, without the elephants doing their thing in the environment, a lot of other animals would not survive.  Take out the elephants and you lose a lot of smaller species that depend on the elephants.

To take it one step further, if we compare a native ecosystem to one that’s bulldozed for development, you’re losing a lot of ecosystem services as well. The clean water that we drink and the air that we breathe are tied to that functioning ecosystem so, in the end, we all depend on those ecosystems to be healthy and vital.  

And getting back to the elephants, the native ecosystems, where the elephants are found, depend on the elephant.

So, it’s all a kind of cycle and we need elephants, especially baby elephants that grow into big elephants!

Now that we have learnt why elephants are important to the ecosystem it’s time to create another arts and crafts project.

If you don’t have a craft storage box to collect hand craft items, it may be a good idea to invest in one. You can always visit your local craft store or craft fair, as they will have a large range of craft card, paper, and many other items to choose from.  

 So, let’s create and craft this exciting 3-DIMENSIONAL BABY ELEPHANT CRAFT GIFT CARD…..

ITEMS YOU WILL NEED FOR YOUR BABY ELEPHANT CRAFT PROJECT

Elephant template image

Ruler, pen, pencil, scissors

Craft glue, paper glue,

Black texta, pink texta marking pens

1 pair of black eyes

1 green craft card 12″x 6″

1 pink craft card,

1 purple craft card

1 white craft card

Double sided (d/s) tape

INSTRUCTIONS:

HOW TO CREATE AND CRAFT A BABY ELEPHANT CARD

1 Right-click and Save the template image for pattern. Print onto A4 white paper…

2 Cut out all elephant pattern shapes

3 Trace onto pink, purple, white card

4 Cut green card to size and fold in half

5 Lay out correct front side of shapes so as not to d/s tape incorrect side

6 Turn over each side for d/s tape,

7 Press lightly after each d/s tape application

8 Glue first elephant on to craft card

9 D/s tape on back of 2nd elephant (check it’s on the correct side)

10 Turn over and place exactly on top

11 D/s tape on back side of pink ears (Allow ears to show around edges)

12 Using 1st head shape, use d/s tape

13 Place on top of elephant

14 Cut along side of trunk

15 Slip tusks under trunk and secure

16 Turn over and place d/s tape

17 Mark places for eyes

18 Craft-glue each eye carefully

19 D/s tape both legs, turn over

20 Place carefully onto correct leg

21 Black texta, mark trunk and feet

22 Pink texta, mark trunk

Congratulations!  Your arts and crafts, DIY project baby elephant craft card is complete.

Here is another simple project suitable for younger kids…

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