Pet Presents: Make Catnip Mice

There's no need to visit expensive pet stores for a new toy for your feline! Simply show your child how to make these catnip mice from the comfort of her very own home. Your child will improve her hand-eye coordination as she constructs these fun kitty playthings, and your cat will be ever so grateful! Oh, and here's the best part: You will finally have a use for all of those mate-less socks in the laundry room!

What You Need:

• Small sock
• Catnip
• Scissors
• Felt
• Yarn
• Needle

What to Do:

1. Ask your child to stuff the sock with catnip. Make sure she knows that she does not need to stuff the whole sock; just fill it until it looks "mouse-shaped."
2. Have her form the filled sock into a mouse-like shape, and then trim off the excess sock.
3. Help her sew up the open end of the sock, using a needle and thread of any color.
4. With your child, cut two mouse ears from felt, and stitch them neatly to the side of the mouse's head.
5. Using the yarn, slip your needle into the stitched-shut edge to make a tail. Invite your child to trim the yarn to her desired length. A tail of about a couple inches is ideal, but there's no need to be precise about the measurements.
6. Have your child make two knots in the yarn to represent the mouse's eyes.