DIY Pull String Pinata!

I have seen a bunch of pins on Pinterest of DIY Pinata's so I decided to give it a try for my son's 3rd birthday party. Since we didn't need something huge so I used an empty brownie mix box (the large ones you get at wholesale stores like BJ's and Sam's Club). The ages of the kids were under 5 so I knew I wanted to do a pull string pinata and not have to worry about a bunch of toddlers and preschoolers wacking each other with a bat. The whole project was not as complicated as I thought it would be when I first started! :)

SUPPLIES:
-Cardboard Box (any size...depending on the amount of candy/treats you want inside)
-Tissue Paper and/or Crepe Paper (Whatever color matches your theme)
-Ribbon
-Glue
-Box Cutter/Xacto Knife
-Paint (Whatever color matches your theme.)
-Paint Brush
-Cut Outs or Stickers to decorate the finished pinata (Optional)

DIRECTIONS:

1. The first thing I did was make a flap on the bottom of the box for the candy/treats to fall out of. And make small slits for the ribbons to go through.

2. I painted the top and bottom of the box with the black paint.

3. Next I took the black crepe paper and began to wrap and glue it all around the box.

4. When the entire box was covered I decorated it with a skull and cross bones, the words "AHOY" and the number 3. I used my Cricut machine to make all of these but you can decorate it with whatever materials you want to use!

4. Next I added all the ribbons! For the "winning" string make sure you knot it and put some tape over the knot so it will open the flap when pulled.

5. The bottom should stay closed when you push it in. If for some reason it doesn't apply some tape.

6. Fill the pinata with the candy/goodies.

7. Add a ribbon on top so you can hold the pinata from.

*The pinata worked out GREAT and it doesn't get destroyed so it can be reused!! :)

Thanksgiving Turkey Craft

SUPPLIES:
Paint (Brown, Orange, Red, Yellow, White, Black)
Cardstock Paper (any color but we usd off white)
Paint Brush


DIRCTIONS:

1. Paint toddlers hand and have them make hand prints on the cardstock using the yellow, orange, and red paint (2 hand prints in each color).

2. Paint toddlers foot brown and have them make a footprint in the middle of all the hand prints (feathers).

3. After all the paint is dry help your toddler draw a cute face on your turkey! You could also substitute the black and white paint for googly eyes!

Halloween Monsters!!

SUPPLIES:
-Cardstock Paper (any color will work but we used black)
-Paint (any colors)
-Paint Brush
-Googly Eyes
-Glue
-Black Marker


DIRECTIONS:

1. Paint the palm of your toddlers hand or bottom of their foot and then let them press it to the Cardstock paper. (Do this as many times to get the number of monsters you want).

2. Let Dry (if you use acrilic paint like we did it dries really fast and it comes off of skin super fast too!) After it is dried let your toddler add the eyes (help them with the glue if needed).

3. I helped him add some mouths to the monsters, but older kids would be able to do that themselves!

Painting Pumpkins

SUPPLIES:
-Pumpkins
-Paint (we used 6 different colors)
-Something to elevate pumpkin so it doesn't sit in wet paint (we used plastic bowls)


DIRECTIONS:

1. Place plastic bowls (or whatever you are using) in a plastic bag then place pumpkin on top.

2. Squeeze paint onto pumpkin and let it drip down.

3. Keep adding paint until you are happy with your design.

*They take a while to dry especially if you use a lot of paint*

Fall Tree

SUPPLIES:
-Paint (brown, red, yellow, orange)
-Cardstock Paper
-Brown Crayon
-Pom pom balls

DIRECTIONS:

1. Draw a tree trunk on the cardstock paper.

2. Squirt a little bit of each color onto a paint tray.

3. Have your toddler use the pom pom balls to make "leaves" on the tree!