Jun. 30, 2008 - Paper Mache Bugs
Last Friday we decided to make paper mache bugs...our messiest project yet, but oh so fun!! First we ripped up scratch paper. (I didn't have any newspaper). Then we blew up different shaped balloons. We had decided ahead of time to make a ladybug, an ant, and a worm (not a bug, but who cares). Then I mixed up a large batch of equal parts water and flour, put into big bowls and went to town making our bugs. Oh the gooey mess, the slimy feeling of immersing your hands (and arms) into a bowl full of goop...boy heaven! We had alot of fun creating our bugs. As it turned out we only had time to make a ladybug and a snail...the worm must have turned into a snail.
Once they were dry after a day or so, we painted them. I had high hopes of actually making our ladybug LOOK like a ladybug...but alas, the boys were only wanting to make their bug "look like a bad bug". OK?......so it's a bad bug, but still a bug and it's not about the final product, it's about the process...the "doing" part. And our snail looks a bit like a slug, but we had so much fun making these together. When we were done, O said, "mom, our bugs look gooder than better," to which I replied, "yes they do!" I couldn't argue! (we'll work on grammar later...)
Making the goop
See???? Boy heaven!!! A word of warning if you are going to try this at home....flour and water are literally like plaster once dry. Next time we'll do this in the grass. I really had to scrub the deck to get it clean.
Ladybug drying in the sun.
...and the snail.
The ladybug actually turned out really cute.....
I was so happy that the kids had so much fun with this project AND that we completed it. There were so many steps to making these....maybe that's what held their interest.
