Hump day helper #9: Jumping Handkerchief Mouse

When I was a little girl, my Dad used to make a Christmas cracker out of a hankie and hide a coin in it to keep me entertained when I was bored. I don't know why but sometimes I can remember how to do this and other times, usually when under pressure to entertain the twiddlies, I can't for the life of me remember.

But I found a link on the Monkey See Monkey Do blog for a jumping handkerchief mouse which goes one step further. It becomes a cracker before its a mouse, and now I have a further trick in my repertoire. Look out Vegas!

What do you need
A large mans hankie or square of cloth

How to do it

1. Fold hankie in half diagonally
2. Fold corner points into meet in the centre
3. *Hide your prize here if your going to make a cracker!* Roll hankie from bottom to top leaving the top corner unrolled.
4. Fold the point down and hold firmly
5. Fold the two sides in so they overlap in the centre6. Using your thumbs, roll the folded ends into the centre until the tails pop out the ends.
Voila you have a cracker - if you pull the ends now, it pops open and unravels to reveal the prize.

To make this into the jumping mouse...

7. Gently pull out one of the tails of the cracker and fold back upon itself to make a triangle.
8. Tie the two corners gently together to create the mouse's head and ears.
Put the mouse on your hand facing up towards your arm and cup your fingers under the mouse's bottom. Use you fingers to flick the mouse around and make it appear to move on its own as if it's running up and down your arm. Giggles abound ;)

If my instructions are about as clear as mud, try the ones on the Monkey See Monkey Do blog where I found these fab images and the instructions. There is also a cool tea towel chook I must try!