Newspaper Dragon Hat

If the weather is turning cooler and forcing your kids indoors then you may want to set up some crafts for them to do. Crafts are a great way to beat the after school boredom hours if your kids are stuck indoors. Just make sure that you have everything you need before starting (you do not want to interrupt the fun to rush to the store for a forgotten item) offer some snacks on the side (well out of the way of the projects to prevent spills) and get ready for an afternoon of fun! Here are some great ideas for after school crafts-

Newspaper Dragon hat-

Kids of all ages will love this whimsical hat that is so easy to make.

What you will need:

• A bowl that fits on your child’s head
• 10 sheets of newspaper (in this case, one sheet equals just the left or right side; you do not need the big square spread)
• Scissors
• Tape
• Paint (tempera paint works well)
• Paintbrush
• 2 paper cups
• Construction paper
• Glue stick

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Instructions for the project:

Turn the bowl upside down on the table and wet one sheet of newspaper in the sink, making sure it gets soaked. Lay it carefully over the bowl and press down firmly along the edges. Repeat the procedure with seven more sheets, alternating the direction of the newspaper each time you lay down a sheet over the bowl. Let it dry completely overnight. In the morning, you should be able to lift off the newspaper, and have it retain the shape of the bowl. Use scissors to carefully trim the edge of the newspaper into points. Do not trim any points into the front since this part will become the dragon’s snout. Gently fold the points to the inside of the hat and tape.

To make the snout, roll the brim of the hat to the outside and tape it to the front of the hat (you should use loops of tape so it won’t show). Have you child paint the entire hat green (or whatever color they like). For the dragon’s eyes you can cut the top inch or so (depending on how much you want the eyes to bulge!) off a paper cup. Cut the tabs and fold them back. Repeat the process on the second cup. Paint the entire cup green.

When dry, glue construction paper circles (eyeballs) to the cups and then glue the eyes onto the hat using the tabs. For the tail fold a double layer of newspaper (the last two sheets) into a long, triangular shape. Paint it green and let dry completely. Attach the tail to the inside back of the hat with tape so that the point runs down your child’s back. If you want to add spikes make two triangles of construction paper that are glued together. Leave the bottom of the triangles unglued and fold back so that they will attach easily to the hat. For a final touch add teeth and a tongue to your dragon. Cut them out from construction paper and then curl the tongue around a pencil before attaching it to the inside of the hat with tape.