Seussland is a child’s DREAM! Colorful Truffula Trees and flowers scattered throughout the crazy rolling hills of this imaginative land. Children’s eyes light up just from seeing the wacky and detailed illustrations on the turn of every page, yearning for a trip of their own to this magical land. But, little do they know, Seussland can be brought to them! With just a few basic materials, parents can help their kids build a set of Truffula Trees to bring a little slice of Seussland to their very own reality.
Don’t let the fun stop with the completion of this project, read to the end of this article to learn how to keep children engaged with their new Truffula Trees all year long! Now, everyone grab a hammer, and let’s get started!
Read More: 16 Ways To Entertain Kids At Home
Materials for Truffula Trees
The materials needed for this project are simple and can be found at many of your local stores including- The Dollar Store, Target, Wal-Mart, Lowes Home Improvement, Michael’s, or Hobby Lobby.
In order to create the perfect Truffula Trees, these are the materials that will be needed:
- Three (3) foam pool noodles. Each one a different color.
- Three (3) packs of 16” paper tissue fluffy pom-pom flower balls. Each pack a different color.
- One (1) 8oz. Bottle of Chalk Paint (any color).
- One (1) 4 inch-wide sponge paintbrush.
- One (1) 1×10 (¾” x 9 ¼”) pine board.
- One (1) 1 ¼” dowel (24+ inches long).
- Three (3) 2” screws.
How to Do It!
Step One: Using a circular saw, cut the 1×10 pine board into a 12-15 inch long piece. Then cut the dowels into three individual 8 inch pieces.
Step Two: Position the dowels sporadically on the pine board and screw all three dowels to the same side of the board. Sand any and all rough edges.
Step Three: Using the chalk paint and paint brush, paint the wooden base and dowels completely. Set aside and leave to dry.
Step Four: Open the tissue paper pom-poms and pick out one pom-pom of each color. You only need three pom-poms. Put any remaining pom-poms aside.
Step Five: Only unfold HALF of each pom-pom and completely fluff the tissue paper. It should look like a tissue paper bouquet, one side of the pom-pom being the stem and the other completely filled out and fluffed.
Step Six: Taking one pom-pom at a time, grab the unfolded (stem) portion of the pom-pom and insert it into one of the holes of a pool noodle. Push the stem down into the pool noodle completely so that the only visible part of the pom-pom is the fluffed out portion. Complete this step with all three pool noodles and all three pom-poms.
Do not match the color of the pom-pom to the same color as a pool noodle. The idea is to have them colorfully mismatched just as a Truffula Tree is in Seussland!
Step Seven: Check the wooden base to make sure the paint has had time to dry. When the paint has had time to dry, take the other end of the pool noodle (opposite the pom-pom) and push the open hole of the pool noodle down over the peg attached to the wooden base. Complete this step for all three pool noodles.
Step Eight: Gently bend each pool noodle forwards, backwards, or to the side to fluff out the trees so they aren’t standing straight up.
Step Nine (Optional): Take a completely different color of any type of tape- washi or duct tape- and wrap small rings around the pool noodles.
Decorate with Truffula Trees
The Truffula Tree project is officially done, TA-DA! Now, it’s time to answer the biggest question of all! Where to plant these fresh, new Truffula Trees? Here’s a hint: it’s not going to be the most obvious place.
Around the House:
The best place to put these brand new trees is going to be somewhere that needs a little bit of spunky creativity!
Don’t box in a child’s creative thinking to one corner or room of the house. Instead, encourage their creative souls to shine in every nook and cranny of the home! Just think about how much joy it would bring them to see their art projects on display for all to see. Putting the Truffula Tree project by the kitchen table may spark a newfound conversation at dinner that may have otherwise not happened.
Want to keep the creativity flowing? The Truffula Trees don’t have to be a solitary, stand-alone experience. Decorate the Trees at Christmastime with a string of fairy lights and handmade ornaments from your child.
Hang homemade valentines from the trees in February, add orange lights and spider web at Halloween, or hang “Notes of Thankfulness” in November. The opportunities are endless all throughout the year and it keeps children interested and wanting more. They will constantly look forward to the day when they can redesign their Truffula Trees!
Read More: Easy Valentine DIY
In Their Room:
Children may want to keep their Trees in their room and that’s okay, too! Help them find the perfect space in their room and pretend to “plant” the trees in their new home. Use an old water can from the garage or snag a new one from the dollar store and remind them to “water” their trees daily to help them grow!
If the hallway has ample space, place their Trees right outside of their door and add a play mailbox or doorbell. This helps them to feel that they have a special space in the house and that they have the freedom to welcome others into this space they’ve created!
In the Backyard/Garden:
While putting the Trees outside is a GREAT idea, just remember that they will run the risk of being weathered. If the Trees are outside, make sure that they are under a covered area. It makes for a great prop for outside photoshoots of your kids!
This Truffula Tree project is a fun and easy way to get the creative juices flowing for children. It’s guaranteed to keep them busy for an afternoon, but to keep them intrigued all year long! There are an infinite amount of ways to keep the fun of the Trees flowing, ask the kids what other ideas they can come up with, and watch their imagination soar!
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Photo Credits: Stephanie Booe
