Kid's Craft Chameleon Hairband With Retractable Tongue

So in this instructable, I've made a fun Chameleon hairband kid's toy.

It serves it purpose as a hairband while adding the touch of fun and whimsiness kids especially do appreciate.

It's simple to put together and you don't need lot's of resources to get it done. It's definitely worth giving a shot.

The initial inspiration for this was some hairstyling method where the hair is combed togther at the midline to resemble reptilian dorsal spine, so my first design was a complete chameleon trunk, fore and hind limbs, but factoring in things like how to build it in a way that allows others to replicate it, I had to pass it through several modifications till I arrived at this particular simple yet elegant take at it.

Without wasting much time, let's dive into the process of making it.

For the project, here are the supplies you would need if you want to make one as well, of which I'd encourage especially if there's a kid you know will love to have one.

Cardstock (I used a glossy cardstock)

Hairband

Paper gum or superglue

Hot glue

Plastic drinking straws

Scissors

Paper/pen knife

Plastic ruler (to score along the lines to be folded)

Cellotape (or any water durable tape)

Let's begin the process of making the chameleon hairband, I'll lay out step by step how I did each component with the aim of providing a clear and straight to the point guide for making this yourself.

In this first step, I printed out the template, which is attached to this step below for download. You want to make sure your printer prints sharp images, else the lines of fold on the template might end up being too hard to see.

I then proceeded to cut out each part with my scissors and for hard to reach corners, I made use of the pen knife, ensure your cutting tools are sharp to obtain a neat work. Caution should be taken to avoid injury as well.

For tiny corners, do not force it, take your time so as not the rip the entire piece apart, which will even be more frustrating.

Onto the next, I began to fold each part along the fold lines. The dotted lines represent the mountain fold, that is, you fold them away from you, while the dashed lines are the valley folds, which means unlike the mountain folds, you fold them towards you.

After folding along the fold lines of each piece, I then started to glue each part together one after the other, please follow the order as shown in the images above to avoid running into problems handling the pieces.

The eye is essentially a circle, cut along its radius and folded into a flat cone. It gives the bulging eye appearance of a chameleon.

After I was done making the body of the chameleon, I glued it to the middle of the hairband.

Here, I made the the tongue out of straw along with the pieces that connects it to the mouthpiece, through which the tongue is inflated for protusion.

To make the tongue, take a drinking straw, wrap it several times as shown in the above image around a pencil and tape it into position. Now, you can use an hot air blower to heat it up, but I just dipped it in hot water for some minutes and then cooled it afterwards. Remove the tape and the pencil, you'd notice that the straw has permanently taken the shape of a coil. Strectch it out and glue the tip shut with hot glue.

Pass the tongue into the hole in the mouth and hot glue it to the floor of the mouth, and from the hole in the side, pass another straw and connect the two together. To fit the straws together, use the tip of a pencil to widen the hole of the tongue straw and then push them into each other. You want to achieve a tight seal.

Notice I didn't use the tongue in the template because I already made it before I got the inpiration to use straw as I was about to use my glue gun and thought what if I heat form straw into a coil.

Just like making the body. Cut out the parts from the templates.

Fold along the fold lines, keeping in mind what the dotted and the dashed lines each mean.

Glue the corresponding parts together as shown in the images, note that the right leg has a hole to be cut out for the straw passage.

Cut the top of the leg at the triangle-marked middle to allow bending along the hairband and glue them on the hairband. Pass the straw into the right leg.

Cut and glue the orange toes on top of the tip of each leg. Fun fact: Chameleons have pincer-like toes (for better grasping).

The straw should protude a little out for connection to the mouthpiece.

I then covered the back of the chameleon body with the pentagonal template piece designed for it.

To make the mouth piece is as easy as it looks in the images above.

Take one straw and bent the upper part into a hook that can hang over your ear, take a second straw and form it so it fits into the first straw and its other end goes along your cheek and the bends towards your mouth.

Put it on to ensure it's properly made and if it isn't, adjust the bends or length of the straw. Finally stick it to fit in the straw coming from the hairband.

One helpful tip is to apply superglue around the tips of straws before fitting them into each other, this way, you don't have to worry about breaking them apart.

So yeah, done, done, done! For the sake of anonymity (I don't know why, LOL), I inflated a balloon and wore it on top of it.

It sure does look good (don't mind my drawing on the balloon, was just trying to make it look as much as I look).

I connected series of straws outside the camera view and blew through it as it is intended for use, the result is up there, that gif image, yeah, and once again, it sure does look good.

Thanks for sticking through, hasta luego!