Not only would your child love having a pinata for their party, they would really enjoy helping you make it.
Materials Needed:
- 12" balloon
- Newspaper
- Liquid starch
- Scissors
- String
- Scrap pieces of poster board
- 8-9" piece of wire
- Large bowl
- Small bowl
- 3-4 colors of crepe paper
- Glue
You will also need a flat surface that will be undisturbed for 24 hours. Using the lids from extra large storage tubs work and make them portable.
Instructons:
- Blow up the balloon and knot the end well. Place balloon in the small bowl with the large end upwards.
- Cut all of the newspaper into one-inch strips.
- Pour about two cups of liquid starch into a large bowl and drop in 4-5 strips of newspaper. Make sure all of the pieces of paper get thoroughly coated in the starch.
- Hold up the first piece of newspaper with one hand and sandwich it between two fingers with the other hand. Drag your fingers down the strip to remove excess starch. Once excess starch is removed, lay each strip across the balloon in a different direction. You will need to work evenly on the sides so it does't get too heavy on one side and tip over. Cover as much as you can in at least three layers of newspaper strips. Set aside to dry. It will dry faster in front of a fan.
- Cut a piece of poster board measuring 2" x 8". Tape it into a short cylinder with about a 3" diameter. When the first batch of newpaper is dry, turn the balloon upside down with the small end up. Lay the cylinder on the topmost part of the balloon and tape it into place.
- Using more of the newspaper strips coated in starch, cover the bottom of the balloon and the cylinder in at least three layers. Do not cover the bottom hole closed. You want to still be able to see the nipple of the balloon. Set aside and allow to dry.
- Cut two 8" circles and two 3" x 1.5" rectangles from the poster board. Once the balloon is dry, pop the balloon. Remove the balloon debris. Cut a hole in the side of the balloon shape. Make it so that it flaps open and closed. Put glue all around the outer area of one 8" circle. Carefully place it into the balloon, glue down, to cover the bottom hole. Repeat with the second circle.
- Use the scissors to punch two holes in the two small rectangular pieces. On the top of the balloon insert the wire through one hole on one rectangle. Punch it through the balloon. Inside the balloon, put the wire through one hole of the other rectangle and back up through the other hole. Continue the wire through the balloon and through the outer rectangle. Set aside for the glue to dry.
- Fill the balloon with candy. Using newspaper strips and starch, patch the opening you made and secure the top rectangle to the top of the balloon. Weave the wire ends together. Set aside to dry.
- Cut the crepe paper by folding it in half twice. Cut slits every half-inch all the way across on one side. Do this for each color.
- Glue the crepe paper to the balloon by gluing the balloon and wrapping the crepe paper around in layers four deep. Switch colors every fourth layer until entire balloon is covered.
- Cut a circle about 4" in diameter. Cut a rectangle 2" x 12". Wrap the rectangle around the circle. Clip the edge of the rectangle and fold the piece over the circle. Glue. This will make the basket of your hot air balloon. Cover the basket with crepe paper wrapped the same as on the balloon.
- Poke three holes in the basket at equal distances. Repeat in the bottom of the balloon. Tie three 8" pieces of string, one in each hole of the balloon. Tie the other ends in the holes in the basket.
The copyright of the article Making a Hot Air Balloon Pinata in Crafts is owned by Mary Welling-Bonney. Permission to republish Making a Hot Air Balloon Pinata in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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