Remember papier mâché? I certainly do, although I haven't tried it in more than 30 years. Many of us learned this crafting technique when we were children, and it hasn't gone out of date at all. The supplies are simple and easily found around the house: you need old newspapers, and a glue made from flour and water. To decorate the paper sculptures, use whatever is on hand: paint, glue, sparkles, cardboard, egg cartons, string, or anything else that you can imagine.
Follow the jump for more information and resources, so you can do this fun craft with your little ones.
Kids often enjoy making a specific shape or creature, and then decorating it. Visit the Enchanted Learning site for instructions on making dinosaur eggs and bones, a globe, a piggy bank, or Hallowe'en themed crafts like ghosts and jack-o-lanterns. Over on DLTK, see how to make alligators, birds, Pharaoh masks and more. And Kinder Planet gives a recipe for papier mâché glue, as well as instructions for making a clown, a space helmet, or a piñata. Family Crafts shows us how to make some neat looking masks, and the Pitter Patter Craft Library has a wealth of instructions and related resources.
Encourage kids to use their imagination to come up with wonderful variations on all these creations .... and, if you're not afraid to get a bit messy, jump in and have fun making papier mâché yourself!
