Friends, hello everyone! You know, having decided to show how to make a piñata with your own hands at home, for some reason I thought: what a pity that in my childhood there was no such toy, or rather, game. This is a real surprise with wonderful gifts. And the main thing is that all the kids are happy, and a children's party with such fun will definitely be the best! And the piñata itself is a very cool decoration for the venue and event, for a birthday, wedding, anniversary.
Therefore, I will try to tell everything in detail and show the video. But I’ll start with a short review of this entertainment.
Classic star
A standard piñata is made using the papier-mâché technique. Do you remember how in elementary school they tore pieces of paper from newspaper, dipped them in glue and pasted them over a mold in several layers? So, this toy is made in exactly the same way.
Most shapes can be made from a ball. For example, the Mexican star is made from a ball to which cones are attached. By the way, this form is also good because filler can be added not only to the central part, but also to each ray.
The finished product is covered with crepe paper fringe. If you don’t have it on hand, you can simply glue multi-colored pieces of paper overlapping each other to make the craft “fluffy.”
Decorating a piñata
Decorating a piñata is a creative process. You can apply any colorful palette or paint with acrylic paints. Pictures depicting popular fairy-tale characters that are easy to paste look original.
Nuts and candies, small toys or even notes with wishes can also be used as surprise filling.
If you are planning a friendly party, use colorful decoration using corrugated paper in different shades. Brightly colored foil will also work. From these materials you can create a disco ball or a bright star.
It all depends on the celebration for which the piñata game is intended.
For a birthday, it is better to decorate the piñata with the numbers of the upcoming festive event. Little princesses will love toys decorated with flowers and a stylized sun.
Pinata: original decoration and entertainment
Not a single Mexican holiday is complete without a piñata, and if the party is organized in a different style, guests will love this craft. It is believed that this entertainment owes its origin to Chinese lanterns; they were filled with gifts, but today this tradition has captured the whole world.
A large and bright toy is filled with tasty or pleasant gifts and hung from a tree branch or a special mount. The guests or the hero of the occasion are faced with a completely understandable and simple task: they need to hit the toy with a stick and get its contents.
Halloween pinata
It's hard to imagine planning a fun Halloween without some fun. You can make a piñata in the shape of a pumpkin or a bat, and a small figurine of a ghost will add a special atmosphere. To make a bat you will need two balls, glue, tape, and black paper. The first step is to inflate the balloons, one should be small, it will serve as the head. Then secure them with tape. Then glue layers of paper on them, letting each one dry well.
The idea of such fun entertainment belongs to Mexico, although, according to some sources, the piñata is the prototype of Chinese lanterns.
Once you have achieved the strength of the mouse's body, you can pierce the ball and pull it out. Next, fill the piñata with the necessary elements. To create the wings, use black cardboard. After cutting them out, secure them. Eyes, teeth and ears need to be glued to the head. The finished version can be hung in the room.
The classic decoration option is corrugated or crepe paper. Paste the toy in a circle downwards with fringe, making each strip overlap.
More complex shapes
The beauty of a piñata is that it can look like anything you want. Beginning craftsmen can make it from a ball or in the shape of a “hat box”.
- Cut out two circles with a diameter the size of the finished craft.
- Cut strips of thick cardboard as wide as you want the depth of the craft to be.
- Make notches along the connecting strips
- Glue two circles together with pieces of tape, placing stripes between them
- Don't forget to leave a hole where you can add candy.
If you suddenly fail to build a structure, you can always watch the corresponding video on the Internet on the topic “do-it-yourself piñata video.”
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Based on such a round box, a piñata can be made with your own hands at home in a variety of themes. Cover the box with paper and place a portrait of your favorite cartoon character on a circle, draw a cute face and glue a cone on the edge of the structure and get a unicorn, and a bunch of other things.
Using the same technology, you can create entertainment for a holiday of absolutely any form. It is enough to cut out the main outline from thick cardboard in two copies and connect them with strips of the required width.
For Christmas and New Year
For such holidays, it is worth making a piñata that displays the New Year's attribute. It can be in the form of Christmas tree balls with bright confetti inside, snowflakes, in the shape of a snowman, or a unicorn. The filling is made with predictions; small gifts for the whole family and guests, holiday cards are also suitable. Try to convey the festive mood in every detail.
It will take about a day to dry, after which the product is ready for decoration.
For a New Year's piñata, you will need materials identical to the usual one, the only condition is that the decoration must be made in accordance with the theme. It is better to take an oblong ball. When all the papier-mâché layers are dry, remove the ball. Cover the top part with colored foil and tie ribbon bows on top. Then use corrugated paper to make decor - snowflakes.
Depending on the purpose, it can be supplemented with eyes, buttons, scarves.
What kind of miracle?
The traditional piñata is a structure made of papier-mâché with sweets inside. On the outside it is covered with multi-colored paper fringe.
The first surprise toys were made in the shape of a star. The pinata is made in such a way that when hit with a special stick, the structure breaks and gifts fall out of it.
Modern analogues can be made in absolutely any form. You can also fill the product not only with sweets, but inside you can put light toys (keychains or soft ones), stationery and whatever else you want.
The main thing is that the filling weight should not exceed half a kilogram. You can add glitter or confetti to the filling, then when you break the show it will be even more colorful.
What can you put in a piñata?
Depending on the theme, the piñata can be filled with the following elements:
- mini candies, lollipops;
- serpentine tape;
- confetti of any configuration;
- souvenir money;
- notes with wishes and predictions;
- small toys;
- bracelets, keychains, hairpins;
- rose petals.
You don’t need to fill the toy completely, but about halfway, so that there is empty space left.
It is not recommended to fill with heavy objects with sharp edges.
For the laziest
If you don’t have the desire or time to bother with cutting out shapes, you can take a ready-made cardboard box. A piñata can be made from any box you have at home. It is enough to put the gifts inside, tie the boxes crosswise with a rope (don’t forget to leave a loop for hanging) and cover the craft with colored paper.
And so that no one finds out that the piñata was made at the last moment, design it as if the square shape was conceived from the very beginning. Boys will certainly appreciate the “punching boxes” in the shape of Minecraft heroes. And what? Everything there is square, even a person, even a sword.
How to break a piñata
Having chosen a suitable place for the piñata, hang it. Gather the guests in a circle around her. The hero of the occasion is invited to the center; if desired, you can be blindfolded. He is given a stick, then spin him around. Amid loud singing, applause, and prompts, your hand must hit the piñata to break it. If unsuccessful, another child can try his hand. The game lasts until someone manages to break the toy. After which everyone begins to collect sweets or gifts that fell outside.
The right to strike first is given to the smallest participant, because due to his height, he is unlikely to be able to immediately break the toy.
Filling, stick, paste for piñata
How to play. In addition to the piñata, you need a stick. She will strike. The goal is to break the hanging bright figure in order to get the surprise hidden in it.
Who can participate? Children, from very little ones to adults. Most often, such fun is prepared for the boy. But girls can also have fun, and even adults can have fun like this.
What shape? This is where you can let your imagination run wild. It could be:
- Number,
- Favorite character, Luntik or Spiderman,
- Vegetables or fruits
- Or, the traditional Star,
- Horse, Bunny, Elephant, Ladybug,
- Minion.
And many many others.
Table part
After the children have gotten comfortable, accepted the rules of the game, and most importantly are hungry, it’s time to sit them down at the table. A festive birthday feast needs to be planned and interesting. You can prepare a comic congratulation for the birthday boy.
You grow up, big, big, Just don't be a noodle! Love mom, dad and friends, you will live more joyfully!
During the meal, let each child congratulate your birthday boy personally, recite a poem or his wish.
Table game "Slastena"
Often, one of the children gets full first. As a result, it turns out that one part of the guests is already ready to run, while the second is still chewing their food. At this moment, it’s time to play a table game to keep the already sated people occupied with something.
A sweet (candy, chocolate, cake, cookie, etc.) is placed in an opaque deep container. Those who have already eaten are asked to guess what kind of sweet it is. You can smell it, shake it. If they can’t guess for a long time, you can give hints. Of course, whoever guesses correctly gets this sweet. Or you can attract their attention with riddles. But since our topic is “Paw Patrol,” the questions will be about them. Let's see if you can guess the puppies.
On average, children should be kept at the table for 25-30 minutes; they simply won’t sit for more.
How and where is the best way to hang it?
Of course, outside is ideal. It would be good to choose a spreading tree under which grass grows. Sweets and toys will fall down, it’s a shame if all this joy ends up on a dusty road. However, you can lay out a beautiful blanket or bright film.
Rooms with high ceilings often have convenient hooks. We hung it in the music room of the kindergarten on a hook intended for insuring the Christmas tree :-). The toy itself should be at such a height that children can take turns reaching it with a stick.
If you really have nowhere to hang it, you can assign two adults to hold the toy on a string. Here's how it is in the video (lasts 6 minutes, all the children try to break one by one, you can immediately scroll closer to the end :-)):
Suits
Of course, a themed party cannot be complete without the main characters! And, therefore, without their characteristic attributes: suits and cars.
To create a costume for any of the puppies, all you need is:
- Vest. All characters are wearing vests, including Ryder. The main thing is to find a vest in the right color. Under it you can wear a turtleneck or a long-sleeve sweater of the same color as the fur of the selected puppy character. Choose jeans, trousers or leggings with a skirt (for girls) of the same color. Patrol hero costumes.
- Backpack. Each puppy carries important equipment and auxiliary tools in his backpack. It is the same color as the vest.
- Collar. Of course, like any domestic dog, puppies have medallion collars. Each medallion depicts an element in which the puppy can express itself better than others. So, for Sky it is air, for Marshall it is fire, etc. You can make collars from a strip of colored paper or ribbon, and draw medallions on cardboard. A simple paper mask will help create the look.
- Hats. Finding a suitable headdress for each character is not easy, so you can use cardboard masks with images of dog faces. Print out the mask templates, color them, and tie an elastic band around the edges. Masks can cover the entire face or just the upper part. The second type of mask can be made from felt.
If it is not possible to make a mask, then do not be discouraged: invite the guests and the birthday person to apply face painting on their faces. No one will refuse such a fun idea!
Room decoration
The surrounding atmosphere is quite important for children. It greatly affects their mood. Therefore, by spending a little time decorating a room, you will be fully rewarded for your work in the form of children's admiration. Of course, you can just hang balloons around the apartment. But since you’ve decided on a PAW Patrol themed birthday party, the paraphernalia around it should match. If you think that registration can cost you a tidy sum, then this is not so. All this can be done with your own hands, significantly reducing your consumption. Just print the files below on your printer.
If you need flags, print as many sheets as you need for the length you need.
It would be nice to print a poster in the style of your favorite cartoon with its characters for decoration.
The cartoon takes place in the city of Adventure Bay, and all the colors in it are bright, pure, without shades or halftones. They are often combined in contrast; the triad “blue-white-red” predominates on the cartoon’s screensaver. This color scheme can be used to decorate a little birthday boy’s room or a festive hall.
Posters, wall banners in the form of connected multi-colored bones, flags with images of puppies or their emblems, a personalized garland in corporate colors - all this can be printed from templates from the Internet or ordered on specialized websites. You can decorate furniture and walls with appliqués of dog tracks drawn on paper. And, of course, bright colored balls are always appropriate (they can also have images of cartoon characters!)
Photozone
The hero of the occasion and guests will be able to take a photo against the backdrop of bright drapery, a poster - a frame from a cartoon, a beautiful number symbolizing the age of the child. Today, your favorite characters can easily be made from balloons by specialists. You can build an arch with a background depicting Adventure Bay or a tower - a patrol base.
Photos of kids having a fun puppy romp in an inflatable pool full of colorful balls look great. Well, if there is a pet nearby who allows you to put on a cap or vest, the photos will be simply irresistible!
