How to make a paper rat

What do you know about Australia's fascinating rodents? Let's make a paper rat and find out more about our furry neighbours.

For this activity, you will need two square pieces of paper, scissors, clear tape and a marker.

  1. Fold both pieces of paper in half, in a rectangle. While folded in half, cut the paper so that it unfolds into a symmetrical heart shape.
  2. Cut out a tail shape from the edge of the scrap paper.
  3. Fold up the bumps on one of the hearts – this will create the ears. Place the two hearts on top of each other, overlapping in the middle, with the points facing out. Turn over to the underside of the paper.
  4. Tape the two hearts together and tape the tail onto the end.
  5. Turn the hearts back over. On the top side, use the marker to draw the ears on the raised centre fold, and the eyes, nose and whiskers in front. You may like to visit Collections Online for some real life rat inspiration.
  6. Fold your newly made rat in half lengthwise to help give it shape. Finally, make sure your ears are nicely bent to stand up.

As always, we love seeing what you make. Don't forget to share your creations with us using #MelbourneMuseum #MuseumAtHome.

Join the mailing list and get the latest from our Museums direct to your inbox.

Share your thoughts to WIN

We'd love to hear about your experience with our website. Our survey takes less than 10 minutes and entries go in a draw to win a $100 gift voucher at our online store!