Tuesday, August 3, 2010

Paper mache

We've been working with paper mache this week which has been lots of fun! We decided to make some animals (possibly a bit ambitious but nonetheless good fun) Jacob chose a giraffe and Esme chose a pig (with a little help!) Luckily Daddy was home when we did this so he could give us a hand.

This is what our animals looked like before the papermache went on. They don't really look like animals do they?!


Jacob rips up some newspaper, ready to dip in the paste.


Getting started on the paste. Jacob delighted in making a huge mess by dipping the newspaper in and then carrying it over to the giraffe while it was still dripping - great fun for a little boy!

Careful construction of the giraffe. You may notice that Esme wasn't that keen on getting her hands dirty - I ended up doing most of hers!


The finished product - for today! They will require lots more layers before they are stable and look more like the animals they are meant to ;)


Here's the recipe for the paste we used:

Paste

Ingredients
12 tablespoons cornflour
1 cup cold water
4 cups boiling water
1 tablespoon disinfectant

Method
Blend cornflour and cold water. Add boiling water to make 5 cups. Boil for 1 minute until clear, then add disinfectant (we didn't bother with this as we used it all up on the day!). If too thick, add a little more water.

Visit We play at Childhood 101 for more great play ideas

9 comments:

Catherine said...

It has been so funny and frustrating for me when we have tried paper mache in the past, my son wants to do it but also wants to wash his hands all the time. We will be trying again soon to create a pinata for my eldest son's birthday party.
Looking forward to seeing your finished animals.

Sue Walker said...

Good for you for doing it outdoors, my big mistake when Jordan recently made a space alien for an assignment at school, it ended up all over the carpet and a tip don't ever clean the table up the next day! Nightmare! We made a rocket with chairs and blankets - I thought of you while we did it!

Muma Paparazzi said...

Fantastic! I planned to do this next week in prep for a home made pinata for master N's 3rd birthday! I had no idea where to start but now I know
Thankyou!

Narelle said...

Hahaha Sue, we do all this sort of stuff outside these days just in case. I never know what to expect with Esme!!

I'm planning on using the pig for Esme's birthday pinata too. I did it for Jacob's birthday one year and it worked really well (apart from being very difficult to break lol!)

amandab said...

Dadda did this with Princess at the start of the year. They did one layer, and it is STILL sitting up on top of the bookshelves waiting for them to get back to it.

I guess it's my turn ... LOL

Can't wait to see the finished products :)

Marita said...

Ooooh Awesome. My 7yo was peeking over my shoulder while I read this post and wants to make a papermache piggy bank now :)

She and our friend A started to make a paper mache Pikachu Pinata a few months ago but when we put it in the garage to dry some mice ate it :ugh: :(

Christie - Childhood 101 said...

I think they look great, can't wait to see them finished :)

Little Monkey said...

I just love your creations : ) we're huge fans of paper mache here. My boys love creating their own toys and have so much fun making them and playing with them when it's all finished. Oh and I LOVE your blog, there are so many fantastic craft ideas here - I'm printing off lots at the moment : )

Earthly Joyride said...

Thanks for reminding me about how great paper mache can be - must try it in the next school holidays!

Related Posts with Thumbnails