Get Crafty :: Make a Hot Air Balloon




last week we worked on our hot air balloon project. i'm not sure how we came up with it. hot air balloons are sighted here more on warm summer days, so maybe the reason was simply to make something reminding us that there are indeed warmer days ahead of us.


so as i explained already last week, we pasted newspaper strips to an actual balloon, using a homemade paste.

homemade paste for paper maché:
1 part flour
5 parts water
some salt 
cook for about 7 minutes, medium heat, stirring continuously

i put the balloon in a small bowl and fixed it with tape, so it was a lot easier to apply the strips of paper and also to paint it later. it was practical too because once we took it off the bowl, it already had the "opening" a hot air balloon needs.



this project is perfect for working on for several days. each step took about 15-30 minutes. that is the attention span that spencer has, he was pretty much "done" after 3/4 of each step, so i was glad that we could just put the project aside for a day or two. after the paper maché had dried, we painted it. when the paint was dry, we popped the balloon inside. it came off easily, and voilà: our balloon was almost done.

i punched holes into the "basket" (also made of paper maché) and into the balloon and we strung it together with yarn.


the playmobil children and their pets just love to fly off!

so, here is a quick step-by-step how-to:


  •  blow up a balloon
  •  tape balloon into a bowl
  •  make homemade paste and tear newspaper strips
  •  paste paper strips to the balloon
  •  allow to dry for at least 24 hours (in the sun or infront of the heater)
  •  paint balloon
  •  allow paint to dry
  •  pop the balloon
  •  punch holes, and attach a basket (selfmade or storebought) to the balloon with some yarn
  •  i strung a piece of yarn through the top of the balloon too in order to hang it up


other tutorials for crafting with kids you might enjoy:

recycled toilet paper roll owl
hand crafted paper neck tie
welcome spring with a simple garland
creative toy diy: make a dancing owl

5 comments:

Kim said...

This is awesome!

simona said...

I've always had a thing for paper maché! What a fun project. I thought I saw it yesterday in the background when we skyped, but I forgot to ask about it.

Kelly Ingram said...

Great little project! I'm making a hot air balloon mobile at the moment - there's just something so whimsical about a hot air balloon, isn't there? xxx

karen said...

That is such a cute idea!! I love the little people that are riding in the balloon.

Dawn Suzette said...

This is great! I do love those projects that you can work on a little each day. It looks wonderful!

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