When Tuesday and Quinn were about River’s age, they took an art class. One of the projects they made was a dragon. They turned out so cute and we still have them…..so River decided she wanted to make one.
The first thing you need to do is get some supplies together. You need two toilet paper rolls or one paper towel roll, 3 small paper cups, some newspaper, a cardboard egg carton and brown masking tape. First, if you are using toilet paper rolls, you need to tape them together. Then, cut off a section of the egg carton and tape it to the toilet paper rolls.
Next, you need to tape two of the small paper cups to the bottom portion of the dragon. These will be the legs, so make sure that they are level, so the dragon can stand. One of the paper cups, you have to cut a mouth out and tape that to the front part of the dragon. Don’t be afraid to use lots of tape to secure it well.
Now you are ready for the tail. Just grab a bit of newspaper….make it into a tail shape….shove it into the other end of the toilet paper rolls and then tape it all together! Congratulations, you’ve finished the first part!
Now for the beginning of the messy stuff…paper mache! There are a lot of different paper mache recipes out there..but I keep it simple..just flour and a little bit of water..mix until it is a thick paste. Get some newspaper strips and you are ready to go!
Your little one may need help covering the whole dragon. But I know they’ll have fun with this part! Cover the whole dragon with strips of paper dipped in the paper mache.
Then wait til it dries. After it dries….about 24 hours..you are ready to paint your dragon. Grab whatever paints you like to use…I like acrylic….and let your little one paint away!
When the paint dries…..your dragon is ready for its final touches……whatever your little one would like to add..buttons, ribbons, feathers, glitter, googly eyes…whatever is in your craft cabinet! Let it dry and enjoy! Oh, and don’t forget a little tissue paper in the mouth…for the fire!
my oldest son, the lover of all things scaly, will enjoy this so much! thanks!
I’ve been looking for a project to go with our dragon unit. This looks great!
Enjoy! It is a fun project!