I recently introduced my boys to the wonders of paper-mache. Of course when I say "wonders", I actually mean: ooey-gooey-sticky-runny-mess-mache. There are a host of paper-mache masters out there and all sorts of online recipes for paper-mache paste, but I’m old school simple: a scoop of flour mixed with warm water until full goop-status is successfully achieved.
My eight year-old configured and taped some boxes together from the basement to make this:
Little brother helped his older brother place wet newsprint strips in place like this:
A few coats of paint, and the completed project looked like this:
Tips for those tackling like-projects: 1) Plan plenty of time for each stage of the process. The more goop used (read: the younger the paper mache artist) the longer it takes for the creation to dry in between each step.
2) Plan to place all young children working with paper mache directly in the bathtub. Dried flour-paste looks unattractive on elbows, but is downright yucky on hair and in ears.
2) Plan to place all young children working with paper mache directly in the bathtub. Dried flour-paste looks unattractive on elbows, but is downright yucky on hair and in ears.