I know my sun looks a little crazy. :0) But it was fun to make and I love
how it turned out!
Know what tomorrow is?!?
That’s right! The 40th Anniversary of Earth Day!
I get so excited for this holiday every year because it means several things:
- Spring is here!
- We get to celebrate our amazing planet!
- I get to make recycled crafts with all of the kids in my family!
I try to get together the younger kids in my family like my nieces and nephews to teach them the importance of appreciating our environment and caring for it!
Craft: Recycled Hanging Suns
What you will need:
- Colored pipe cleaners
- An old newspaper
- White flour (I cup)
- Water (1 cup)
- Paints
- Paintbrushes
- Rafia Twine (you can get this from any Craft Store)
- Balloon/s
Directions (be sure to read this with your kids):
- Blow a balloon to your preferred size (keep in mind this will be the size of the globe of your sun)
- Mix the water and flour together in a bowl to make a paste to paper mache your balloon
- Tear the old newspaper into long thin strips
- Dip the strips of newspaper in the paste and start covering your balloon
- Make sure you have covered the entire balloon with strips of paper and paste. You do not want any gaps except for at the knot of the balloon. Make sure to layer the paper mache two or three times so that it will be strong.
- Let the paper mache balloon dry over night.
1. Now the fun part! Paint your paper mache balloon yellow (or whathever color that inspires you) so you have the globe of your sun. tip: hold the balloon by the knot while you paint the globe so you don’t get your hands too covered in paint. Here’s where you can let loose and paint whatever you want on the sun: a face , or flames, symbols, a mural of all things happy and fun! It’s your sun, have at it.
2. After the sun has dried, have an adult help you poke holes around the side of your paper mache sun with a pin. This will pop the balloon inside, which you can throw away afterwards
3. Bend the pipe cleaners in zig zags or swirls and insert into the holes to make sunshine.
4. Once you have added as many pipe cleaner “flames” as you like- take some of the raffia twine, fold in half, and tie a knot at the fold. Place this knot inside your sun and it should be large enough to stay in place.
5. Pick a place to hang your sun! Wherever you need to brighten your day! These also make great Mother’s Day gifts.
Happy Earth Day everyone!
What are you doing for Earth Day? Make sure to let us know on Twitter or on our Facebook page! We are always looking for cool recycled crafts that we can do with the children in our lives.
Can’t get enough sun? Neither can we! Make sure to enter our Draw Your Own Sun Contest to have a chance of winning $1,000 in art supplies for a K-12 school of your choice and to be featured on our new packaging! There will be 100 winners- that’s $100,000 in art supplies! Enter Now!