In order to make a soccer ball pinata you only need a balloon, white glue, paints and the candy. The steps are simple, and this is a good project for a child to work on with a small amount of supervision.
Things You'll Need:
- 1- to 2-inch strips of newspaper
- 2 small bowls
- Round balloon
- White Glue
- Water
- 3-inch circle of cardboard
- Heavy cord to hang pinata
- Scissors
- Popsicle stick
- Pencil
- White and black paint
Prepare Newspaper Strips
Hold newspaper vertically and tear strips 1- to 2-inches wide. Set aside a pile of strips.
Prepare Work Space and Glue Mixture
Cover a work area with extra sheets of newspaper. In one of the two bowls, make a mixture that is two parts glue to one part water.
Prepare the Balloon
Inflate the balloon and tie a knot in it when it resembles a round soccer-ball shape. Set the balloon on the second small bowl with the knot facing down.
Cover the Ball in Papier-Mache Dipped Strips
One at a time dip newspaper strips into glue mixture and apply to the balloon. Turn the balloon so that you can cover the entire surface except a small area near the knot. Cover the container of glue, and let the balloon dry. Once dry, apply another layer.
Pop the Balloon and Fill With Candy
Once the ball is completely dry, pop or cut the ballon knot, and pull the balloon out of the ball. Fill the ball with candy or toys.
Cover the Top Hole of the Pinata
Trim the 3-inch circle of cardboard so that it is approximately 1/2 inch larger than the hole where you put the candy in. Tie one end of the cord to the popsicle stick. Use scissors to poke a small hole in the middle of the cardboard. Thread the cord through the cardboard. Insert the popsicle stick into the ball so that it comes to the top of the ball. The cardboard circle should rest outside the ball.
Use Glue Mixture to Affix Cardboard Circle to Ball
Cement the cardboard circle "top" you created by covering it with two layers of papier mache.
Paint the Ball
To make the classic soccer ball look, first completely cover the ball in white paint and let it dry. Next, lightly sketch in pencil the soccer ball design. This doesn't have to be perfect, but try to keep the hexagons a similar size. Start in a central spot and lightly sketch a 2- to 3-inch wide hexagon. Around this hexagon draw a ring of intersecting hexagons. The middle one is black. The first ring after that is all white. Now you will see the pattern emerge. Each black hexagon is surrounded by a ring of white hexagons. White hexagons do touch each other, but black ones never do.
References
Writer Bio
Long-time writer, quilter, knitter, crocheter and all-around crafter, Pam Hillestad also teaches high school English, and helps high school seniors get in touch with their creative genius before they head out into the real world.
Related Articles
