Gluing popcorn together is just plain fun, whether you're eating it or crafting great works of art. This versatile puff of corn can be stuck together in a variety of ways, using corn syrup, marshmallows, Elmer's glue, or hot glue. Make some sweet munchies or colorful holiday decorations. Go ahead, pop some corn with the kids and get ready to have some sticky, gooey fun.
Popcorn Munchies
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Make crunch-a-licious popcorn treats held together with melted marshmallows and a bit of butter —the popcorn version of Rice Krispie treats. Add a few drops of food coloring to the melted marshmallows and roll the popcorn-marshmallow mixture into balls and decorate them as pumpkins or Christmas tree ornaments. Form rings and decorate as wreaths. Make snowmen, using chocolate chips or raisins for buttons and eyes and a gumdrop candy for the hat. Do this in small batches, with buttered hands, and work quickly before the mixture loses its ability to be formed.
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You can also use a corn-syrup-and-sugar concoction to glue popcorn together, or use both melted marshmallows and corn syrup. Make bright popcorn balls with food coloring or gelatin powder. Mix an assortment of gumdrops and cinnamon candy hearts into a gooey popcorn mixture, then shape it, free-form, into a cone shape for a Christmas tree or a ring shape for a wreath. If you use a mold, butter it or spray with cooking spray, so you can pop it out with ease after it has cooled.
Glue popcorn together with melted chocolate chips or melted caramel squares. Mix in peanuts or pretzel pieces for a salty-sweet taste. Drop them onto a wax-papered cookie sheet and stick them in the fridge to cool.
Popcorn Art
Also create works of art using popcorn and regular glue. Use Elmer's glue or hot glue, you choose, depending on safety (very young children should not use hot glue) and how fast you want your project to dry. Glue popcorn onto card stock cutouts of sheep or polar bears to make 3-D wool and fur. Glue popcorn to snowman cutouts, or cutouts of angels, for wings and gowns, or use it for Santa's beard and hair and the white trim on his red suit. Draw a winter scene on card stock and glue popcorn together for snow-covered pine trees. Roll pieces of popcorn in glitter glue for stars.
For a more elaborate project, buy some wooden rings or twig wreaths at a craft store and glue popcorn all around it. Drizzle glue on the popcorn wreath, then sprinkle glitter all over it (or drizzle the popcorn with glitter glue). Then add other embellishments to decorate your wreath according to season or holiday.