Paper Mache Activity

Oh definitely, your kids are gonna enjoy this Paper Mache activity. It involves all the things which every kid love, paper cutting/ tearing, water & painting.
And its beneficial for us, parents as we can get rid of old newspapers through this activity and some center pieces or bowls or cards can be build out of this paste which can be used in our homes for various different purposes.

But do you know, there are many benefits to this activity as well:

Benefits:

To teach kids about Recycling.
Gross Motor Skills
Finger movements/ Enhances their finger grip
Creative Skills
Artistic Skills

Materials Required

Bowl of Water
Old Newspapers
A pair of Scissors
Grinder
Glue
Paints

How to do:

Step 1 – Give kids few old newspapers or paper scraps and a pair of child friendly scissors (if they can) or just ask them Tear down the papers into small bits.

Step 2 – Ask them to put these strips or bits of paper in the water and let it Soak overnight.

Step 3 – Next day, Grind these soaked paper strips while squeezing out the excess water and and adding a little Glue and try to make a mushy paste. It will not perfectly smooth paste but that’s OK.

Step 4 – Now squeezing out the excess water from this paste, mould this paper mache in the shapes you like. (Eg. Ball, Traingular Mountains, Bowls, Paper Cards etc) And put them out in sun to dry. May take another 5-10 hours.

Step 5 – Once they are dry, Paint them in colors you want. Painting them with acrylic colors will also prevent them from wearing off and help them to stick together.