What you’ll need
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1 sturdy stick or bamboo cane, about 2m long
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1 sturdy stick or bamboo cane, about 1m long
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1 sturdy stick or bamboo cane, about 30cm long
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Old clothes – shirt or jumper, trousers, hat
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Old pair of tights
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String
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Straw or leaves
What to do
Make a frame
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Tie tightly the 1m stake to the 2m stake about 15cm from one end, in a cross shape and then tie the other stake in the same way about half way down. This is the frame for your scarecrow.
Make a head
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Cut one leg from the tights and fill with some straw.
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Push the straw firmly to the end and make it into a head shape. Tie a piece of string around the tights to stop the straw from falling out.
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Paint a funny or scary face on it; you could make some glasses and maybe a beard.
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Now tie the head on to the top of the frame.
Dress your scarecrow
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Placing a shirt on the top crossbar and the trousers on the smaller bar is the standard scarecrow design but you can clothe your scarecrow as you wish.
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Tie off the bottom of the legs of the trousers with string and stuff them with straw or leaves.
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Button up the shirt and tie the ends of the arms then stuff the sleeves with straw or leaves.
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Push some straw under the hat and leave it dangling out to look like hair.
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You can design your scarecrow to look like a favourite book or film character.
Get involved
The Royal Horticultural Society is the UK’s leading gardening charity. We aim to enrich everyone’s life through plants, and make the UK a greener and more beautiful place.
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