Cardboard Meerkat

• 1). Draw or paint a meerkat onto a piece of cardboard. Model it after a picture that shows off the meerkat's distinctive features like its skinny legs, slender body and long tale. Use tan for the body and black for details like the ringed eyes.
  
  
• 2). Place the cardboard onto a cutting mat and use a craft or utility knife to cut around the picture, leaving only the outline of the animal.
  
  
• 3). Create a stand for the meerkat so you can display it in an upright position. Cut a strip of cardboard that extends from the middle of the meerkat's body its feet. Fold the top of the strip and glue it to the back of the cardboard. Bend the stand downward and prop up the meerkat.
  
  

Modeling Clay Meerkat

• 1). Roll a piece of tan air-drying modeling clay into a coil that's wide enough for the meerkat's body.
  
  
• 2). Roll four smaller coils to represent the meerkat's thin arms and legs. Use your fingers to mold the coils into the correct shapes.
  
  
• 3). Stick a toothpick halfway into the tops of the four legs. This provides extra support. Stick the other end of the toothpicks into the clay body. Press clay around the joints upward to eliminate the seam between the two sections.
  
  
• 4). Sculpt a meerkat head, which has a flat top, long nose and sunken eyes. Add tiny ears plastered to the side of the head. Make small coils with black clay to form the mouth and the rings around the eyes. Use a toothpick to attach the head to the body.
  
  
• 5). Roll a long, thin coil to form the tail and attach with another toothpick to complete the meerkat.