Someone posted a comment suggesting I explain a little more about how we did the pinata a few weeks ago. To begin with, I got the idea from a website.
Pinata boy has tons of great detailed info and designs. I'll try to explain what we did and what I think works best when making a pinata with kids. The whole process would be a lot quicker and cleaner without children involved, but what fun is that! My kids loved doing this together with me and especially loved the finished product and the candy reward.
First you'll need to decide on a design. The easiest is to just paper mache around a balloon and let that be your shape. Then you can decorate it with anything. The first one we did (pictured above) we used striped crape paper then put the child's name and age over that to personalize it. (we gave this as a birthday present for a friend.) We've also used the balloon shape then created a hot air balloon design using a paper basket and strings hanging from the bottom of the balloon pinata. You can get creative with shapes or use any of the designs from the internet.
Here's a list of supplies:
1.
Newspaper torn in strips. If you hold the newspaper sheets on their side with the short end of the rectangle at the top you should be able to tear pretty straight pieces. You'll need them to be about 1/2 to 1 inch wide. This does not have to be exact.
2.
Plain white flour. Make sure to buy the cheapest white flour you can find. The last pinata I made out of organic flour because that's all I had. It didn't mess anything up but made the pinata more expensive to make.
3.
Balloons.4.
Decorations for when the paper mache is dry and your basic design is complete. I like to use cut up
crape paper. Rolls of crape paper are usually around a dollar depending on the length of the roll. I like to unroll it and fold it in long lengths so that I can make slits about 1/2-3/4 of the way through the paper to make it look authentic.
5.
String, wire, or an old coat hanger for hanging the pinata.
6. A little
duck tape and/or masking tape to attach pieces of cardboard and reinforce the hanger if needed.
7.
Small pieces of cardboard or cups depending on your design.
8.
White glue for attaching crape paper decorations.
Directions for paper mache :
In a large, wide bowl, use a whisk to mix a flour and water paste using a ratio of 1 to 1. You can start by using 2 cups water and flour since the mix will keep in fridge for a couple of days. It's better to make a little too much than have to mix more when you're messy with paste all over the place. The kids love to help with this step. Since the measurements aren't exact and you won't be ingesting the batter it doesn't really matter how much they play in the bowl while mixing. My kids know not to make a huge mess, so I usually give them a lot of freedom here. They get the measuring cups out, pour, and mix with little help from me. Of course they have flour and water on the counter and on their clothes but it is easy to clean. They know not to dump the bowl and paint the cabinets with the paste. Other kids may not know this, so obviously you would only want to give as much freedom here as the child can handle:) Keep in mind you'll probably all need to change clothes when you are done. We usually do.
Start putting newspaper around balloon. You can begin this part of the process two ways. This last pinata we made, we taped dry newspaper around the balloon first. The idea is that when you start putting wet paper mache strips on the balloon they will stick better to the newspaper than to a balloon. Or, you can skip this step and just start putting the pasted strips on the balloon. I tried it both ways and I do think it's easier to start with a layer of dry paper. You can apply paste to the newspaper strips 2 ways. One option is to dip the strips in the bowl of paste. Then dangle the paper over the bowl and use your fingers to scrape off excess paste. Another way is to use a paintbrush to apply the paste to each strip. I think the second way takes too long and adds another tool to have to clean.
The best way I have found to do this part with kids is to let them watch a few times first. I spread sheets of newspaper out on the kitchen floor to work over. The kids can access the bowl and balloon easiest this way. Then let them do the dipping and scraping over the bowl. The parent can help guide the pieces onto the balloon making sure to spread it as even as possible. I usually end up holding the pinata/balloon with one hand and pointing to where the next piece should go. Then I can turn the balloon and we can cover all sides.
Cover the balloon with one layer of paper mache then set it out on newspaper to dry. The time it takes to dry will depend on the weather and how much paste you used, but you can count on it taking about a day or more.
Once the first layer has dried, poke a whole in the top, pop the balloon, and remove it. Then make a small door on top of the pinata so you have room to put candy in.
Then do 1-3 more layers of paper mache using the same process as before. Let it dry between each layer.
Directions for decorating:
Starting at the bottom of the design, begin gluing the crape paper strips. I like to pour white glue into a bowl and let the kids use q-tips to dip and apply the glue directly on the paper mache. I've noticed that this step usually gets boring pretty fast. They usually help for the first few rows of crape paper then start doing something else. You may want to either stop and finish this step over a few days or, just finish it yourself. The kids don't mind watching me. They understand it has to be done and usually just play around me while I'm completing the design. They join in whenever they feel like it.
Then you'll need to attach a string or wire for hanging. I have done this several ways. The first is to use string and just glue or duck tape it to the inside or outside of the pinata. You could use hot glue on top or duck tape on the inside. Just make sure you attach it somewhere that can hold the weight of the pinata after it is filled with treats. It is pretty heavy when complete and so you need to take that into consideration. I used a wire coat hanger for the last pinata and it was easy and very stable. Just cut the wire right before it turns the corners so you have an upside down V with a hanger on top. The I just punched the ends into the finished pinata and stuck my hand inside (through the candy door) and turned the ends under so they would stay in place.
These are some of the clay pieces. Arianna's is the yellow horse head.
Here's Arianna's self portrait that was done to look like a batik.
We took them out to dinner to celebrate Arianna's first art reception.
This is Ellen's lizard.
Sorry to the grandparents for not giving notice of this event. It really snuck up on me this year and I was not expecting the weeks to go by so fast!
We planted dianthus flowers and gerber daisies in this bed in the front yard. I love having instant color. Although it is in the front of the house the flowers are a little small to see from the road but they are a pleasure to walk by throughout the day. We (the girls and I) spend a lot of time with front and back doors open. We go in and out all day while we sit out for lunch, take breaks for playing with the dogs, or just wander around in the sun. I am so thankful for the beauty that surrounds our house, and even more thankful that I'm home most of the time to enjoy it.
We have been eating from this patch of collards all winter. As the weather has warmed and the days have gotten longer the plants have grown huge. I took this picture after we harvested a large grocery bag stuffed with collard leaves. I noticed at Earthfare that a bunch of organic collards were about $2.50. We have been eating a bunch every day for free! In case you are wondering how we eat them, I usually chop them and then saute them with a little oil, vinegar, lemon juice, and soy or tamari sauce. Then I add them to everything--beans and rice, burritos, grits, pizza (actually I add them raw to top of pizza before cooking) or we just have them as a side dish.
Daniel planted loquat trees in the front yard. He pulled these up from around a large loquat tree at Midlands Tech where he teaches. He got them last fall and put them in pots and mulched them over the winter. He dug out this new bed a few weekends ago and planted these 4 trees in the front yard and they have some new growth! Loquats get to be about 25 feet and produce an edible (pear-like) fruit in the late summer.
Here's some watercolor paintings the girls did over the weekend. The design came from one of our drawing books. I put them on this mat board and we have it hanging in the playroom. I like to change the art in the playroom every few months.
Today the girls came in so excited to show me the lizard that Ellen caught. It is the first time she has actually caught by herself. Wish dad was here to show him. We had to take a picture.
Neal and Daniel after LSU beat South Carolina. I love this picture. I think it's the only one I have of my brother and my husband. It's funny though because they both look kinda scared:) Daniel says it's because they are tired (it's 11:00pm at night) from standing and yelling for almost 4 hours and freezing cold since they didn't bring coats and it got really chilly that night. Plus the guy taking the picture was probably drunk and really close to their faces.
Painting a mural at the museum.
Parker loved this big fire truck in the museum.
Playing on the swingset in the backyard.
Coloring is very important too:)
A little bit of silliness from mom too. Messy playroom in the background and all!
This is a picture of the art project which we did last week. It was perfect since we learned about paper mache AND had a gift our good friend could use at her birthday party! We'll be making one for Ellen's 7th birthday next weekend too. I got the directions for making this here at Mother Earth News online magazine.
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