Jun 21 2008
Crafty Recipes: Paper Mache
I love, I mean LOVE, Paper Mache but unfortunately, my kids do not feel the same. For some reason, they act like paper mache paste is an acid that once it gets on their skin it will begin to burn. I’m not sure why this is but the same kids that hate the feeling of paper mache will stick glue on their hands and pretend to peel it off like skin (okay, I admit to teaching them that one). These are the same kids that will also happily play in mud, sand, and clay (which by the way, coats the hands). It is strange to say the least but it basically means that I when it comes to making paper mache crafts, the kids will help me with everything except putting the paste wet papers onto the frame.
Still, I will whip out the paper mache every once in a while to get my hands dirty and with the hopes of enticing my kids to do so as well.
When it comes to paper mache, there are many different recipes out there but my favorite is the straight flour and water. I know there are some that call for glue but if I’m going to use glue, why not just use all of it. The flour, in my mind at least, is what makes the paper mache harden to the proper consistency so I will share the recipe that I use.
What you need:
- 1and 1/2 cups of flour
- 3 cups of water
- Newspaper
Basically, the recipe is a 1 to 2 parts and it really is a no fuss recipe, which I prefer.
Directions:
- Combine the water and flour.
- Mix with a whisk until most (if not all) of the lumps are removed.
- Tear or cut the newspaper into 1″ strips.
- Dip the paper into the paper mache.
- Wipe off the excess paper mache into the bowl before attaching the strip to whatever you are working on.
- Repeat
And that is about it. For some great ideas on how to use paper mache, I suggest going to this site or to stick around on That Parent Place for future projects.
Sirena Van Schaik
Related Posts -
Craft Project: Building a Volcano Well, since I did a cheat sheet on volcanoes and I have talked about them a few times, I thought I would give you a how-to on building a volcano. This is actually a pretty fun activity and many kids can take advantage of this when they need a science...... -
Fun with Science: Baking Soda and Vinegar You have probably seen this experiment before but it is one of my favorites so I wanted to share. If you can't tell by the photograph, I do this activity often enough to warrant purchasing the big box of baking soda. I think it has something to do with the...... -
Father's Day Craft: Father's Survival Kit With Father's Day only being a few days away, I thought I should post one more craft to give you a few more to choose from. This craft is great for children of any age and you can actually tailor it to suit the Dad. What you will need:...... -
Rainboots Welcome About a year ago, I wrote this creative non-fiction and it has sat on my computer for a while. I wanted to share it because my post last week for 2 year old development made me think of it. I am a firm believer that rain boots is a necessary...... -
Building a Toad Terrarium Mid-summer is a wonderful time of the year; the kids are still home, they are beginning to get bored and are constantly hounding your with questions like, "Mooommm, what can I doooo?" Okay, maybe it isn't quite that great but around here, the kids love this time of year. Not......
Related Websites -
How to Remove Toilet Stains Toilet stains are unattractive and can strike any toilet, especially in a hard water area. Just the water sitting in the bowl can cause these rust-like toilet stains that may make you want to replace your toilet. Fortunately, there are ways to clean those stains and avoid having to replace...... -
Storage Containers On The Cheap. The following is a guest post from Paid Twice, a blog about one family's journey to eliminate their debt, and beyond. David has posted before about reusing cardboard boxes as storage. Well, I've taken that a step further in our house. We're under a big budget crunch while trying to...... - Tune That Name; Calling Your Baby Names I got a new kitten – the cutest little torbie polydactyl manx - last year and had the daunting task of naming her. Daunting? Well, yes. I never had a kid of my own, so I don’t have a knee-jerk reaction to come up with something that would incur the......
- Frugal Crafts for Fall As a crafter, I am always searching for frugal crafts that I can try my hand at. Christmas craft ideas are always plentiful, as are summer craft ideas. What I really need now, though, are fun, frugal crafts that are suited for fall. If you’re looking for a fall craft......
-
Healthier Pancakes I love pancakes! I used to have pancake eating contests with my brother as a kid. I'm not beating family members in pancake gorging fests these days (Thankfully!). In fact, I'm looking for an alternative to the usual white-floured, butter and maple flavored syrup-topped pancake. See, as you may know,......
No related posts.
Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.
Hey there Sirena,
thank you for this tip. I’ve only tried it with kids once, and then we used glue. The one you also use to paste the paper against the wall. I’ve later read about the flour and water recipe, which would not be toxic but not glue so much either.
But as you attest to it working, I’m going to try it once. (We do have a big bag of flour here that we don’t know what to do with anyway
)
Furthermore, the paste/glue is not the papier maché. The finished work is. Papier maché is french for ‘gnawed on’ paper, or beat up paper. My languages aren’t that good to correctly translate from french to english.
Many greetings (from Belgium),
Nikolaj
Glad you liked the tip and thanks for the little history on Paper Mache, I knew that but I often just lump it together as one thing.
)
Thanks
Sirena
[...] they act like paper mache paste is an acid that once it gets on their skin it will begin to burn…http://thatparentplace.com/2008/06/21/crafty-recipes-paper-mache/Children's Book Reviews – Publishers Weekly… nine-year-old Julia Gillian, is good at a number [...]