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I’m partial to making a mess with art. For years I
taught an art camp called “Make a Mess”. Parents loved that their kids could go
somewhere that wasn’t their own home and get messy with art. I honestly never
cared of my son dripped finger paints onto the floor or got a stray crayon mark
on the wall. That said, my house isn’t particularly fancy. If it was, I
probably would have felt the same way and put the art mess off until my son was
at school or a class.
This pumpkin project is full of messy fun! You can
use a store-bought paper paste -- I like to use Elmer's art paste -- or make your own. For this activity I mix equal
parts water and flour. That’s it. Just two cups of water and two cups of flour.
The result? A super thick paste. Before you even start the art-making process,
use thee paper paste mixing as a math and science lesson. Let your child do the
measuring and mixing. Ask your child:
·
What do you think will happen when you
mix the flour and water together?
·
Why did the water get so thick when we
started to add in the flour?
·
How is the new mixture different than
the two ingredients that we started out with?
·
How dos the paper mache feel on your
hands?
·
How does the paper mache smell?
Now your little artist is ready to get crafting.
Prep your work surface by covering it with a garbage bag or other similar barrier.
It’s going to get messy!
Here’s What You’ll Need:
·
Paper mache mix
·
Construction paper
·
Orange tissue paper
·
Scissors
·
A cork
·
Orange tempera paint
·
A paintbrush
·
Glitter
·
Clear drying school glue
·
Googley eyes
·
Black paper
·
Balloon
·
Card stock paper
·
Tape
Here’s What to Do:
1. Blow
up the balloon. This makes the shape of the pumpkin.
2. Make
a stand for the project. The stand allows the air to reach most of the paper
mache, letting it dry without it sticking to whatever is underneath it. Cut two
strips of card stock paper. Fold them into a circle and secure with tape. Use
the balloon to measure the size.
3. Cut
the construction paper into strips. I used orange and white, but your child is
going to paint it so the color really doesn’t matter.
4. Dip
the paper strips, one at a time, into the paste mix. Squeeze the excess back
into the bowl.
5. Wrap
the strips around the balloon.
6. Tear
pieces or tissue paper.
7. Press
the tissue over the construction paper-covered balloon. This adds texture to
the project.
8. Place
the pumpkin onto the stand. Let the paper mache dry overnight.
9. Paint
the pumpkin orange.
10. Sprinkle gold or bronze glitter over the
still-wet paint.
11. Glue on the googley eyes.
12. Cut a triangle nose and jack o’ lantern
mouth from the black paper.
13. Glue these onto the pumpkin’s face.
Are you looking for more fall themed crafts? Follow
my Pinterest board for ideas!
Your paper mache pumpkin came out so cute! I will have to try this with the kiddos.
ReplyDeleteThank you. It's a fun way to prep for Halloween.
DeleteI love your pumpkin! I still haven't tried paper mache with the kids yet but I want to after seeing your cute post!
ReplyDeleteThanks! It's messy, but so much fun.
Deletea great effect and beautifully illustrated.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much!
DeleteGREAT idea, my boys would love this!
ReplyDeleteThis is a great idea - I think my kids would LOVE this! Thanks for joining in with the parenting pin it party xx
ReplyDeleteThis is my first visit to your web journal! We are a group of volunteers and new activities in the same specialty. Website gave us helpful data to work. printed paper cups
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