Paper maché bowls

Let your child create small paper maché bowls for serving snacks or holding tiny treasures.

You'll Need

  • Newspaper
  • ½ cup flour
  • ¾ cup water
  • fork
  • 9 x 13 inch cake pan
  • Small plastic container (i.e. margarine tub)
  • Petroleum jelly
  • Paints
  • Paintbrushes

Time

60 minutes

Learning Stages

This project will encourage creativity and recycling. The end product makes for creative gift-giving. Help your child follow the instructions below:

  1. Mix up a batch of paper maché paste by combing the flour and water and stirring with a fork until all lumps are gone.
  2. Put the paste in a cake pan, or other large pan with sides.
  3. Cut newspaper into one inch strips, or rip into uneven strips.
  4. Coat the margarine tub with a thin layer of petroleum jelly.
  5. Take a strip of newspaper and lay it in the paste.
  6. Run the strip through your fingers, squeezing off all the excess paste.
  7. Place the strip across the bottom and up the sides of the margarine tub.
  8. Continue placing strips around the bottom of the tub until it is covered.
  9. Repeat the process with at least four coats of paper maché strips.
  10. Let dry at least overnight. Once dry, remove the margarine tub.
  11. Paint the inside and outside of the bowl. Put colorful designs on the outside with paint, stickers, sequins, yarn, leaves, beans or other things you find around the house.

Line your bowl with a napkin and it can be used to serve pretzels or some other lightweight food. You can also make a whole set of different shaped bowls for your home by using different size plastic containers (cottage cheese, yogurt or other food storage) as molds.