Total Time Needed: Weekend Project
Ages: 2 years and up
This cute craft introduces toddlers to papier-mâché (and to delayed gratification, as the project takes several hours to dry). Maybe someday she'll make a bushel of fake fruit or an elaborate donkey piñata, but for now it's the process of goopy hands transforming tissue paper into a colorful little container that will delight your tactile young artist.
Materials
- 2 small bowls
- Cooking spray or vegetable oil
- Plastic wrap
- 1/4 cup flour
- 1/2 cup water
- Paintbrush
- 2 sheets of tissue paper cut or torn into roughly 2- by 2-inch pieces
- Bowl of white vinegar (optional)
Instructions
- Coat the outside of one small bowl with cooking spray or vegetable oil, then cover it tightly with plastic wrap.
- In the other bowl, whisk the flour and water together until smooth.
- Have your child brush the paste onto the plastic wrap, then cover it with pieces of tissue paper as shown. She may need your help pressing down the pieces so that they stick to the paste. When the bowl is covered with one layer, have her brush on more paste and add another layer. Continue until you have a thick, defined bowl shape; you'll need at least five layers. If the brush gets too goopy, dip it in white vinegar, then rinse it with water. Let the papier-mâché dry (at least 12 hours).
- Gently remove the papier-mâché bowl from the bowl mold and peel the plastic wrap away. For a smooth edge, trim the bowl's rim with scissors.
